Project Gallery
Raptor was one of the more informal jobs at D3, and one of the more enjoyable for it. The client, a bicycle company and cycling club, wanted a shop that doubled as a clubhouse: somewhere Raptor cyclists could gather before and after rides, repair a bike, and buy coffee and pastries, sold to members and to anyone passing on the Putney riverside. The clubhouse sat directly beneath the D3 offices, which made the whole relationship refreshingly simple; Raptor employed us for the basic designs, wall build-ups and orientation plans, then handed those to a builder to carry out.
My role was the plans, elevations and 3D model. The client struggled to read the space from floor plans alone, so a 3D render did the heavy lifting instead, and did it well: a video walkthrough communicated layout and mood in a way no flat drawing could. Several rounds of renders changed a restrictive back office into a low platform to showcase new bikes and provide space for talks and events. It also settled the colour scheme: Raptor had originally wanted bright technicolour red, purple and white, but seeing it rendered changed their minds entirely, and they landed on something far more natural and rustic instead.
The whole process stayed easygoing throughout. Every correction was a walk down the stairs, a quick opinion from the owners, and an update the same day, no waiting on meetings or sign-off chains. Start to finish, the project took six months. My fee, from that point on: a standing discount on coffee and pastries!
