100 Fold Studio: Transforming Lives Through Architecture and Enscape

100 Fold Studio is an international nonprofit architecture firm investing in developing communities through design.

The organization was founded in 2010 in Montana, USA, 11 years after the founders visited Nepal and saw firsthand the need for licensed architects to serve in developing countries.

During their years of operation, they have completed 57 designs for 26 countries, including campuses, schools, clinics, and community centers. They have also built nine international and four local projects.

We sat down with John Hudson, President and Architect, AIA, LEED AP at 100 Fold Studio to find out how Enscape and real-time rendering has played a part in helping them to achieve their goals of transforming lives and supporting communities across the world.

How did you come across Enscape’s real-time rendering and virtual reality solution?

We were introduced to Enscape by Overland Partners, an architecture firm in San Antonio, Texas. While the ability to walk through a space with a client using a VR headset was amazing, we were also intrigued by the ability to review Revit drawings in real time with our staff and interns. We saw that Enscape could help us realize our dual mission of training young architects and providing high-quality designs for our clients.

Pico Escondido Young Life Camp. Dining Hall (in partnership with Overland Partners), Dominican Republic

Please tell us about how you’re using Enscape at 100 Fold Studio

We have been using Enscape from the earliest phase of design development (to help us make design decisions) to the latest phases of construction administration (to help us explain construction details). As one of our main goals is training young architects, it helps them to better understand what they are drawing and how every decision affects the project three-dimensionally in real time.

How has your design workflow changed since introducing Enscape?

The majority of the rendering tools take a long time to set up the materials and render. Because of that, we would only put effort into it when the client required renderings for fundraising purposes. Now we don’t need to worry about rendering time because with Enscape, you just press one button, and in a few seconds, you have good quality images and a real-time 3D experience. This allows us to use rendered images in earlier phases of our design process. We can make design decisions with clients earlier, making the process faster and easier and the final results better aligned with their expectations and mission.

Boys and Girls Club, Montana, USA

100 Fold Studio works on many overseas projects. How has Enscape helped you to communicate your design ideas?

Enscape has made communication with our clients so much better! Many of our projects are based overseas, and with some of these clients, we can come across a language barrier issue. With Enscape, we can explain our project ideas to our clients and consultants with rendered images or walkthrough videos. Imagery is a common language that people from different nationalities, or even from outside the architecture field, can understand.

Another benefit of Enscape’s speed is that we are able to show our clients different options to help them make informed decisions. They understand the project better and become more engaged in the process, which helps us to get better feedback and serve them well.

University of the Nations in Battambang, Cambodia

How have you used Enscape to help you prepare fundraising materials for your projects?

One of the main differences with our services is we begin in the fundraising phase with our clients. Thus, one of our first steps is creating materials to help them. The purpose of a fundraising package is to explain the project to potential donors and investors. Enscape makes a difference because the average donor doesn't understand architectural drawings, but when they see good images of the project, it allows them to understand and encourages them to partner with the organization for the project.

What are the main benefits that you have experienced from using Enscape?

The main benefit of Enscape is the speed at which we can create good quality images, allowing all people involved in the process to have a broader understanding of the design. They become more engaged from early phases, and our workflow gets faster and easier. We don’t need to spend too much time rendering a project that will ultimately improve throughout the process.

Pico Escondido Club Room, Dominican Republic

Is there anything else that stands out about your experience of using Enscape that you’d like to share?

At 100 Fold, our mission is to transform lives through architecture. With Enscape, it’s rewarding to see a licensed architect and university student sitting shoulder to shoulder at a workstation discussing design, refining details, seeing new perspectives, finding and resolving problems, and seeing new opportunities. Through Enscape, learning and dialogue are accelerated.

It’s also fulfilling to see our ministry, NGO, and nonprofit clients who are experts in their community work, but may be intimidated by the language of the construction industry, sit alongside our team and participate as equals in the determination of their spaces. Whether its rearranging cabinets on the screen in real time to foster the best learning environment for their after school program, or an Executive Director of a University in Cambodia engaging more partners and donors with a high-quality fly through of an expanded campus serving a nation that is rebuilding following a civic war.

It’s rewarding to see our staff, interns, and clients equipped with the tools to further their missions through design. We are grateful for the technology that allows us to serve communities well.