Industrial Architectural Visualisation Studio | StratumCGI

Most warehouse exterior briefs include two to four views: a front elevation hero shot, a yard-level loading bay perspective, an entrance approach view, and an aerial context view. StratumCGI quotes per view, with exterior pairs starting from £1,800 (2026 pricing).

The minimum input is a site layout plan (DWG or PDF) and at least one elevation drawing showing cladding, door positions, and ridge height. If the warehouse is speculative with no detailed design, StratumCGI can work from a planning layout and typical unit specifications.

Yes. StratumCGI populates yards with articulated trailers, rigid trucks, delivery vans, forklifts, and pedestrian activity based on the operational brief. Vehicle types, livery colours, and trailer counts are adjusted to match the target occupier profile.

StratumCGI models cooling towers, chilled water plant, generator sets, and AHU arrays from engineering drawings or vendor datasheets. Plant placement follows the electrical and mechanical design to show a technically credible campus rather than a generic shed.

StratumCGI signs project-specific NDAs before receiving any drawings. Completed data centre images are not shown in the public portfolio unless the commissioning party gives written consent. References are provided on request under NDA.

Yes. StratumCGI builds a single base model and renders each phase separately so the same camera angles can be used across Phase 1, Phase 2, and full-build views. This is standard practice for hyperscale campus planning submissions.

Yes. Where a park is pre-let, StratumCGI places agreed tenant logos and unit numbers. For speculative schemes, generic branding such as "Unit 1 Available" or developer house-style panels keeps the image planning-neutral and commercially flexible.

StratumCGI follows the submitted landscape plan to place bunded edges, feature trees, entrance planting beds, and estate gates. Where a landscape scheme is not yet designed, planting is agreed with the client to reflect the planning authority's green infrastructure requirements.

Planning submissions typically use a pedestrian eye-level view from the public highway showing the full entrance composition. Marketing hero shots often use a slightly elevated angle to show depth into the estate. StratumCGI recommends one of each where budget allows.

StratumCGI models containers either to generic IEC-standard proportions or to specific OEM dimensions where a supplier has been selected. Transformer bays and cable routes are taken from the electrical layout. Accurate container sizing is important because planning officers increasingly scrutinise BESS massing.

Yes. StratumCGI can produce verified views from agreed assessment viewpoints with the BESS facility inserted into baseline photography. These images support LVIA submissions and are prepared to the methodology set out in SNH/NatureScot or equivalent guidance.

Overhead line gantries, cable route entry points, DNO compound fencing, and transformer plinths are modelled from the electrical infrastructure layout. Including these elements confirms the technical credibility of the CGI for planning and investor audiences.

A clean exterior render of a modern lab or research building with controlled-environment features visible: sealed glazing, roof plant, secure goods entrance, and staff entry. StratumCGI produces these for speculative science parks and purpose-built occupier facilities.

A science facility has distinct visual cues: specialist cladding, dedicated plant enclosures, controlled-entry areas, and higher-quality public realm. StratumCGI adjusts the level of detail on these elements so the building reads as a lab, not a shed.

Early enough to support pre-application discussions with the local authority and marketing to biotech occupiers. StratumCGI often produces the first render at RIBA Stage 2 or 3 once the massing and facade strategy are agreed.

Rooftop condensers, compressor houses, and ammonia plant enclosures are modelled from the mechanical engineering layout. Including plant detail is essential for cold store CGI because refrigeration infrastructure forms a significant part of the visual footprint and planning assessment.

Yes. The thick composite insulated panels used in temperature-controlled logistics buildings are modelled to the specified profile and joint pattern. Pit levellers, insulated dock seals, and overhead dock shutter positions are taken directly from the elevation drawings.

StratumCGI populates the yard with refrigerated trailers, reefer plug-point bollards, yard lighting columns, and separation markings between HGV and pedestrian zones. Trailer livery can be adjusted to match a specific cold chain occupier or left as generic white fleet.

Airside and landside boundaries, security lanes, and vehicle access control points are modelled from the airport master plan drawing. The visual separation of these zones is a regulatory requirement in planning submissions to airport authorities and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Yes. StratumCGI models aircraft to correct proportions for the designated stand type, from narrowbody freighters to widebody cargo aircraft. Apron ground markings, lead-in lines, and FOD boundary treatments are included where the brief requires a credible airside scene.

Unit load devices, baggage dollies, high-loader vehicles, and cargo transporters are placed in the apron scene to illustrate operational density. Equipment type is selected to match the handler's actual fleet profile or agreed with the client for speculative facilities.

Ramped vehicle access, mezzanine sortation decks, and ground-floor unloading bays are modelled from the architect's section drawings. A cutaway or elevated camera angle is often used to show the operational stacking logic, which is a common planning requirement for urban logistics applications.

Yes. Electric delivery vans, rapid-charge bays, cable management raceways, and solar canopies are modelled to the operator's specification. Including EV infrastructure in the CGI is increasingly requested by planning authorities requiring sustainable transport commitments.

Ground-floor retail or community uses, cycle parking, pedestrian routes, and street tree planting are modelled from the active frontage strategy drawing. This content demonstrates compliance with urban design SPD requirements in boroughs requiring ground-level activation.

The glazed frontage is the hero. Car showroom CGI relies on interior lighting pushing through floor-to-ceiling glass, with display vehicles visible from outside. Dusk and evening renders are common because they make the showroom glow against the forecourt.

Yes. Where the dealer brand is not yet agreed, the showroom is rendered in a neutral specification with generic signage. Once a franchise is confirmed, the CGI can be updated with OEM colours, totem signs, and approved branding.

A site plan, elevations, and a sense of the intended franchise or brand tier. If the OEM is known, their brand guidelines help with signage proportions and colours. A concept layout is enough to begin, detailed interiors can follow later.

Making a scheme with unknown tenants still feel alive. Retail parks are often marketed before occupiers sign, so StratumCGI balances neutral fascias with realistic branding cues, enough to sell the scheme without misrepresenting future tenants.

Full, but not crowded. A sparsely populated car park reads as a failing scheme, a packed one looks chaotic. StratumCGI typically places vehicles at around sixty to seventy percent occupancy, with pedestrians and trolleys in natural positions to show the scheme working on a normal trading day.

Yes, and the two often reuse the same 3D model. Planning visuals emphasise landscaping, massing, and context. Leasing visuals focus on fascia prominence, customer flow, and unit legibility. Running both from one model keeps branding and signage consistent across the marketing and consent process.

Because the covered loading canopy, external racking, and forklift zones are the whole point of the building type. A trade counter rendered as a generic shed loses its identity. StratumCGI treats the canopy and racking as the hero of the frontage, not an afterthought.

Yes. Trade counters live or die on throughput, so the CGI should read as operational. StratumCGI places trade vans mid-loading, a forklift moving a pallet, and a few customers at the counter entrance. An empty yard makes the building look like a warehouse with no tenant.

Usually yes. Planners care about massing, canopy height, and yard screening. Operators like Jewson, Travis Perkins, or Selco care about racking layout, vehicle flow, and customer separation. StratumCGI frames the view so both audiences see what they need in a single image.

Because the brand shows up best when the fascia, menu boards, and canopy lights are glowing. Daylight renders flatten QSR buildings into generic boxes. StratumCGI almost always delivers a dusk or blue-hour version alongside the daylight view so clients can show planners and franchise managers the scheme at its strongest.

Very. Planning officers routinely push back on stacking capacity, and a CGI that shows fewer queuing bays than the drawings will get flagged. StratumCGI models the lane geometry from the transport layout exactly, including bypass lanes and the order point canopy, so the image matches what has been submitted for consent.

Yes. Each chain publishes its own signage proportions, colour palette, and canopy style. StratumCGI works from the client's brand pack or the OEM's published guidelines, and the fit-out architect usually signs off the render before it goes to planning or marketing.

The canopy. If the steel canopy proportions, soffit lighting, and pump island spacing are wrong, fuel retailers spot it immediately. StratumCGI models canopies from the operator's standard structural drawings, because this is the element that decides whether the image reads as a real forecourt or a stock illustration.

EV provision is now expected on almost every new forecourt render. StratumCGI adds rapid charger bays, canopy extensions over EV spaces, and dedicated lane markings from the electrical layout. Fuel retailers increasingly use these visuals to show planners how the site is future-proofed beyond petrol and diesel.

Yes. Each brand has its own canopy livery, totem design, and price display standard. StratumCGI works from the operator's brand manual where available, or neutral forecourt styling for speculative schemes. Totem height is often a planning flashpoint, so accurate proportions matter.

The porte-cochere. The covered drop-off is where guests form their first impression, and it is where the operator brand is most concentrated, the canopy, the sign cabinet, the flag poles, the entrance doors. StratumCGI almost always leads the set with a hero shot looking across the entrance approach rather than a flat side elevation.

Budget hotel operators work to tight design codes. Window modules, spandrel colours, entrance canopy proportions, and flag pole positions are all specified in their brand manual. StratumCGI builds from those standards so the render passes operator sign-off first time, rather than coming back for colour and proportion corrections.

Usually both. Roadside hotels are rarely standalone, they sit beside drive-throughs, petrol stations, and retail units, and planners expect to see that relationship. StratumCGI renders the adjacent commercial context so the hotel reads as part of a working roadside scheme, not an isolated block floating on a blank site.

Life behind the glass. A gym with a dark interior looks like a warehouse. StratumCGI lights the inside, places treadmills, rigs, and moving figures visible through the frontage, and pushes the brand colour onto structural columns and fascia. The building has to feel used, not just built.

Dusk, most of the time. The branded fascia glows, the interior lighting pushes through the glass, and the building becomes a beacon on an otherwise quiet retail park. StratumCGI still delivers a daylight version for planning, because case officers often want to see massing and materials under neutral light, but the marketing hero is almost always the evening shot.

They are no longer a nice-to-have. Planners expect outdoor HIIT areas, sheltered bike racks, and pedestrian routes from the car park because they tick well-being and active-travel boxes. StratumCGI models these directly from the site plan and populates them with runners, cyclists, and small groups using the equipment, which makes the whole scheme feel inhabited rather than staged.

Because almost every waste application faces local objection, and words alone rarely overcome it. A clear render showing the building, the screening, and the traffic flow gives planners, councillors, and residents something concrete to react to. StratumCGI is often commissioned specifically to defuse the "what will it actually look like" question before it reaches committee.

Honesty works better than gloss. StratumCGI renders the scheme as it will actually be built, including bunding, tree belts, enclosed tipping halls, and realistic vehicle activity. A render that over-prettifies the site gets picked apart at consultation, while a grounded, accurate visual tends to build trust with objectors rather than inflame them.

A site plan, elevations, the landscape and screening strategy, and the transport layout showing HGV routes. That is usually enough to produce a planning-grade CGI. Operational details like sorting equipment or bale storage can be added later if the application needs to show process flow alongside external views.

The canopy. A hub without a sheltering roof looks like a supermarket car park with a few chargers bolted in. StratumCGI builds the canopy as the main architectural gesture, usually with integrated solar panels, because that is what distinguishes a purpose-built charging destination from a retrofit and what operators like Gridserve, InstaVolt, and Osprey want to see in marketing material.

Exactly the number the planning application has consented. Bay count is usually a conditioned parameter, so StratumCGI models bay markings, cable posts, and canopy columns to match the electrical layout. A render that shows twelve bays when the application says eight causes problems later, so accuracy here is not optional.

Increasingly yes. A twenty-minute charge is twenty minutes to kill, and planners now expect to see cafes, toilets, and sheltered dwell areas as part of the scheme. StratumCGI renders these alongside the chargers so the hub reads as a destination, not just infrastructure, which matches how operators are actually positioning new sites.

Because sound stages are big windowless boxes, and a ground-level view makes them look like ordinary warehouses. An aerial or elevated render shows the full campus, stages, production village, base camp, backlot, which is what investors and studio operators actually need to see. StratumCGI leads most studio sets with an elevated hero shot for this reason.

Taken directly from the structural drawings. Stage internal volume, grid height, and door proportions are what production companies care about when they are deciding whether a facility can take their shoot, so the CGI has to match the stage spec exactly. An aspirational stage with the wrong grid height loses credibility the moment a location scout compares it to the technical pack.

Usually developers, investors, and enterprise zone promoters, rather than the production companies themselves. The CGI is used to pre-let stage capacity, support planning submissions, and pitch to local authorities backing the creative economy. StratumCGI builds the image to serve all three audiences from one model.

Making it honest. Solar farms are big, low, and highly visible from public rights of way, and LPAs know it. StratumCGI builds the array to the exact panel density and row spacing of the electrical layout, then tests it from agreed LVIA viewpoints, because an over-flattered render gets picked apart at examination and damages the case.

Yes. Photomontages are built from survey-aligned camera data at agreed viewpoints and prepared in line with the methodology LPAs and inspectors expect. The same model also generates marketing and stakeholder images, so the verified view work feeds directly into community consultation material without having to rebuild anything.

Yes, and it usually should. Hedgerow planting, wildflower margins, and sheep grazing between panel rows are what turns a solar farm from infrastructure into a managed landscape in the eyes of a parish council. StratumCGI models these from the ecology and landscape mitigation plan so the CGI backs up the BNG case rather than ignoring it.

The building is long, shallow, and has dock doors on both sides, not one. A standard warehouse render from a corner angle completely hides what the building actually does. StratumCGI usually uses an elevated or aerial view so the inbound yard, the outbound yard, and the through-flow between them are all visible in a single image.

Cross-dock yards are busy. Tractor units parked, trailers staged in rows, HGVs turning, forklifts moving freight between doors. StratumCGI populates both yards with coordinated activity based on the transport layout, because an empty cross-dock yard sends the wrong signal to occupiers looking at the scheme.

Mostly developers and logistics REITs building speculative units aimed at parcel carriers, retailers, and third-party logistics operators. The render is used for pre-let marketing and planning, often in parallel. StratumCGI frames the image to show the operational logic clearly enough that an occupier can see how their fleet would actually run the building.

Because these schemes are hard for non-technical audiences to picture. Engineering drawings mean nothing to councillors or residents, and a treatment works sits somewhere on the spectrum between factory and infrastructure. A CGI gives everyone, planners, communities, stakeholders, a single reference image of what will actually be built, which is usually the difference between a smooth consultation and a contested one.

Water companies, consulting engineers, and planning teams, but the audience is wider. The same image ends up in planning submissions, community newsletters, press releases, public consultation boards, and examination hearings. StratumCGI treats the render as a communication asset with a long life, rather than a one-off for a single document.

The civil and process layout, elevations of any buildings, and the landscape strategy showing bunding and screening. That is enough to produce a planning-grade image. Where a full design is still developing, StratumCGI can work from concept layouts and refine the CGI as the scheme firms up through the design process.

A long wall of dock doors and a yard full of vans. Nothing else looks quite like it. StratumCGI builds the facade rhythm to match the exact dock door count in the layout, because parcel operators like Amazon, DPD, Evri, and Royal Mail recognise the building by its door density and yard depth, and a render that fudges the count looks wrong immediately.

If the occupier is confirmed, yes. Amazon blue vans, Royal Mail red, DPD yellow, it makes the building immediately legible. If the scheme is speculative, StratumCGI uses neutral fleet so the render does not misrepresent a future tenant. Livery can be swapped later once a pre-let is agreed without rebuilding the scene.

Partially, through open shutters. A glimpse of conveyors, dock levellers, and interior lighting behind a few open doors signals that the building is a working sortation hub, not an empty shed. StratumCGI uses this sparingly, usually on two or three doors, to add operational depth without turning the exterior render into an interior one.

Because substations are one of the most objected-to forms of infrastructure, and written descriptions rarely defuse the opposition. A CGI gives planners, parish councils, and residents a shared image of the compound, the transformers, the gantries, and the screening. It moves the conversation from fear to specifics, which is usually the only way a substation application gets through consultation intact.

Yes. Photomontages are built from agreed LVIA viewpoints using survey-aligned camera data, prepared to the methodology LPAs and the Planning Inspectorate expect. The same model generates marketing and stakeholder imagery, so the verified views feed directly into community consultation boards and hearing bundles without duplicating work.

These are almost always the determinative issues. StratumCGI models the bunding, tree belts, fence line, and access track from the landscape strategy, then tests the view from the receptors the ecology and visual assessments identify. The render is built to back up the mitigation case rather than dress around it, which matters when the CGI is being read by a hostile audience.

Because the extraction flues are the whole story. A dark kitchen hub is defined by a row of vertical risers climbing the rear or side elevation, one per unit. StratumCGI models these from the M&E drawings rather than hiding them, because the flue arrangement is the element planners, neighbours, and environmental health officers all focus on.

Yes. Dark kitchens live or die on rider logistics, and a render without riders reads as a vacant industrial unit. StratumCGI populates the collection zone with cyclists, mopeds, and covered waiting shelters, which shows the operational layout working as intended and answers the traffic and circulation questions that come up in urban planning applications.

Evening, almost always. These facilities peak at night, so a dusk render with illuminated unit signs, rider lighting, and warm interior glow tells the truth about how the hub operates. Daylight is still useful for planning, but the evening shot is what communicates the scheme to investors and operators looking at the model.

That the building can actually make houses at scale. Investors, Homes England, and planning committees all use the render to gauge whether the factory has the span, the gantry crane reach, and the production floor to justify the business case. StratumCGI models the portal frame and crane from the structural drawings, because getting the scale wrong undermines the entire investment case.

Yes, unless the brief says otherwise. An empty factory reads as speculation. StratumCGI populates the floor with volumetric modules at different build stages, jigs, forklifts, and completed units loaded onto flatbed transporters. The image has to feel like a running operation, which is what pre-lets and funding committees want to see.

Usually developers, MMC manufacturers, and local authorities backing modern methods of construction. Sometimes Homes England or combined authorities funding regional housing accelerators. StratumCGI builds the render so the same image works for planning, funding applications, and operator recruitment, because the audience for MMC factories is unusually broad.