Leo is clearly excited when talking about handmade models and the power of a sketch in marker and pencil. But not for nostalgic reasons. In his experience models and sketches are very effective means to communicate to clients and builders, to provide insight and to convince them. A sketch lacks detail and has a provisory look about it. A computer print can be intimidating, because it has a definitive look and offers too much distracting details. A sketch leaves room for the imagination. People can be unsure about a space, even after seeing a 3D animation, and then immediately grasp the spatial lay out when seeing a model.
‘Quality in architecture is found when a building can be physically experienced by the individual user as an environment that is comfortable, beautiful, engaging, special. You can only achieve that by communicating with clients and builders on that wave length. The architect’s job is to make sure, again and again, that attention, time and money is spent on that dimension. It’s a magnificent job when you succeed and it all comes together.’