MOLT Studios | Recent Work

2023

Recent Works Portfolio

MOLT Studios

Seattle, WA

NATHAN SHOBE As a 10-year veteran in the visualization industry, Nathan strives to engage collaborators and maintain relationships across a broad range of clientele including architects, developers, real estate brokers and furniture designers. He sees these working relationships as an invaluable link between our client’s vision and a well-executed deliverable. Additionally, Nathan keeps his eye on the rapidly evolving trends in AI and gaming engines for real time environment development. Beyond the workday, he keeps busy raising his young son with his wife and racing both electric and internal combustion cars on local tracks and autox events.

Before MOLT: B.S. Arch., Lawrence Technological University, Summa Cum Laude M.Arch, Harvard Graduate School of Design

CHRIS HOXIE Chris has spent 25 years working at the intersection of architecture, media and the built environment. As an early pioneer in architectural imaging, his work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Chris has taught digital media at Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania and has collaborated with several world class architects. His research examines the role of media in the design, documentation and perception of the built environment. He lives with his wife and dog on Bainbridge Island where he is renovating his house on a historic strawberry farm.

Before MOLT: B.A. Sculpture and Architecture, Bennington College M.Arch, Harvard Graduate School of Design

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CONTENTS

05

Philosophy

06 Projects

08

Collaborations

12 Render

54

Case Study

80

Project Delivery

MOLT A MODEL FOR INTEGRATED CONTENT CREATION At MOLT, we pride ourselves on being an innovative and integrated practice that seamlessly blends cutting-edge technology, diverse expertise, and collaborative synergy to deliver captivating visual experiences.

Our creative approach is twofold. Firstly, we draw inspiration and techniques from various industries, such as Hollywood’s film-making prowess, to continuously enhance our client deliverables. Not only were we pioneers in adopting non-destructive post-production software, but we also bring together talents from eclectic backgrounds to fuel our associative thinking and inventive spirit. Our recent addition, an acclaimed color grader for HBO series and feature length films, now is our director of color, ensuring a distinctive touch to every project.

Secondly, our client engagement emphasizes early involvement as visualization consultants, functioning as an extension of your design and marketing teams. We maintain and update a 3D design intent model using Rhino, fostering a cohesive synergy among many of the design disciplines including architecture, interiors, landscape, civil and structural teams. Our visuals, crafted in 3dsMax, Vray, Corona, Unreal Engine 5, and Twinmotion, evolve in concert with your project from concept design through to final project design approval and often manifest as real estate marketing collateral. By providing high-end digital media as a design tool for consensus building among all stakeholders, we save time and money, allowing your design teams to focus on problem-solving and creativity.

As a company helmed by trained architects, MOLT excels at integrating with your design process, delving into the tectonic level, and transforming your vision into immersive visual experiences. With over 35 years of combined experience in professional image-making, we’ve honed our craft through a deep understanding of rendering, animation, photography, and videography technologies. As educators at the highest level of academia, we infused our practice with a research-driven approach, constantly exploring tools and technology from various creative industries.

MOLT was founded on the belief that rendering, animation, video, compositing, infographic, and mapping services should be fully integrated under one roof. We are here to provide you with the tools you need to tell the most compelling story of your design proposals. Join MOLT and let us help bring your project to life!

GEOLOCATION PROJECTS FROM 1999-2023

PROJECT METADATA 1999-2023 2023 Figure Office x Studio Jih Memorial to the Victims of the 1871 Chinese Massacre City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Competition Spring 2023 4 Photo composite images 2022 Replay Destinations Nelson Partners Floor Associates Ascent at the Phoenician: Camelback Residences Luxury Residential Phoenix, AZ Opening Spring 2024 40+ Marketing Images + animated content Overland Partners Private Ski & Golf Resort Wasatch Mountains, UT In Progress Design development images Dahlgren Duck Bel Air Bay Club Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles In Progress 3 Marketing images Replay Destinations DTJ Associates Alcove at River Run Village Luxury Residential Keystone, CO Opening Summer 2024 65+ Marketing Images + cinegraphs

2021 Replay Destinations Nelson Partners and Floor Associates Ascent at the Phoenician: Mountain Club Luxury Residential Phoenix, AZ Opening Spring 2024 12 Marketing Images + Cinegraphs Olson Kundig Quarry Mountain Residence Park City, Utah 6 Schematic design Images Brookfield Properties Class A Landmark Office Building: City Center 707 & 717 Denver, CO Marketing images + animation 2020 Brookfield Properties and LJC 24 E. Washington | Macys Flagship Chicago. IL Open Spring 2021 Animation, videography and marketing images Replay Destinations Olson Kundig Mill District Healdsburg: Canopy Residences Luxury Residential Healdsburg, CA Opening Spring 2024 40+ Marketing Images + animated content

Replay Destinations Nelson Partners Floor Associates Ascent at the Phoenician: Mountainside Residences Luxury Residential Phoenix, AZ Opening Spring 2024 35+ Marketing Images + animation 2019 Olson Kundig Confidential Residential Design Aspen, CO Opening Summer 2022 20+ Design development images Huntsman Architectural Group Confidential Office - Adaptive Reuse Washington, DC Opening 2019 6 Final perspectives Olson Kundig Nicole Hollis Confidential Residential Design Atherton, CA In-Progress 65+ Images + VR Olson Kundig Confidential Residential Design Laguna Beach, CA Opening Fall 2019 60+ Design development images

2018 Recompose, Inc. Conceptual design and visualization for a new model of death care.

Seattle location in operation 1 Concept image currently helping raise 10.75m in venture capital Olson Kundig Margaux Grill, JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, South Korea Open Fall 2018 3 Final interior images Integrus Architecture United States Consulate Hyderabad, India Opening 2021 9 Final images for OBO design approval + exhibition 2017 Olson Kundig Private Residence Dalaro, Sweden Fall 2017 2 Interior design options Olson Kundig Confidential Restaurant Design Sonoma, CA In Progress ~40 Design development images Schuchart/Dow Private Residence Malibu, CA Fall 2017 17 Design development images Olson Kundig Private Residence Malibu, CA Opening: 2020 12 Design development images

2016 Integrus Architecture / ZGF Architects United States Embassy - Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka In-Progress 8 Final images for OBO design approval + exhibition

2015 Perkins+Will University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, WA Open Summer 2018 9 Final images for design approval + publication

Miller Hull Partnership United States Embassy, Guatemala Guatemala City, Guatemala Completed 03/08/16 5 - Phase 1 design development images

Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects Hood Museum of Art - Dartmouth Renovation and expansion Hanover, NH Open Winter 2019 6 Final images for design approval + publication

Olson Kundig Millerton Farm House Undisclosed Location Complete 4 Kitchen design options Huntsman Architectural Group Confidential Office - Adaptive Reuse Undisclosed Location Open 2018 6 Final images for client approval Olson Kundig Taiwan Villas - Luxury Residential Taipei, Taiwan Open 4 Marketing images Huntsman Architectural Group Corporate Headquarters Palo Alto, CA Open 2017 9 Final design images for client approval

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Jackson Park Queens, NY Open Spring 2018 ~100 Design development renderings + VR

2014 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Three Alliance Center Skin system + Lobby Atlanta, GA Opened Spring 2017 70+ Design development renderings + Animations Douglas Elliman Development Marketing The Chatsworth Renovation Luxury Residential New York, NY Opened Fall 2016 14 Final marketing images in collaboration with March

2013 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects A Gathering Place Park amenities for a 64 acre park along the Arkansas River Tulsa, OK Opening Summer 2019 50+ Design development images INGRAO The Riverhouse 62,000 sq. ft. private residence virtual test-fit for marketing.

New York, NY Summer 2013 12 Marketing images for the ultra luxury residence in collaboration with March 2012 Zaha Hadid Architects One Thousand Museum Miami, FL Opening Summer 2019 Marketing animation with Michael Klausmeier Gehry Partners LLP National Art Museum of China Beijing, China Competition Competition Submission: Fall 2012 6 Concept images in collaboration with March Princeton University Campus Master Plan: Michael Van Valkenburgh, Steven Holl Architects, Rick Joy Architects Princeton, NJ Fall 2012 8 Concept images in collaboration with March

2011 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Kaoshiung Maritime Cultural & Popular Music Center Kaoshiung, Taiwan International Competition Shortlisted Finalist Competition Submission: Winter 2011 25 Concept design images 2010 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Museum of the Second World War International Competition Competition Submission: Summer 2009 20 Concept Images + animation 2009 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Gates Center for Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Opened Summer 2009 300+ Design development images + 360 VR images 2006 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Yale Health Center New Haven, CT First Place Invited Competition Submission: 2006 Opened Summer 2010 50+ Design development images

2005 Weiss Manfredi Architects Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle, WA Opened Spring 2006 Commissioned animation MoMA Groundswell Exhibition Allied Works Seattle Art Museum Seattle, WA Opened Spring 2007 6 Concept images + animation Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/ SANAA The Louvre Lens Lens, France First Place Invited Competition Submission: 2012 Opened Winter 2012 12 Concept design images + animation Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Allston Campus Harvard University Cambridge, MA Invited Competition Submission: 2005 Opened Spring 2008 15+ Concept design images

2004 Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/ SANAA The New Museum New York, NY Opened Winter 2006 6 Concept design images + animation Diller Scofidio + Renfro Lincoln Center New York, NY Opened Fall 2012 10+ Concept design images + animation Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects United States Courthouse Austin, TX Opened Winter 2012 100+ Design development images + animation Allied Works Museum of Art and Design New York, NY Opened Spring 2008 12 Concept design images + animation Allied Works Museum of Art University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Opened Spring 2009 6 Design development images + animation 2003 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Barnard College, Nexus Building New York, NY Invited Competition

2002 Preston Scott Cohen Tel Aviv Museum of Art Tel Aviv, Israel First Place Invited Competition Submission: Fall 2002 Concept images for competition entry Preston Scott Cohen Toroidal Architecture Thomas Erben Gallery New York, NY Winter 2001-2002 12 Concept images for permanent collection 2001 Preston Scott Cohen Eyebeam Atelier Museum New York, NY Short-listed Finalist Competition Submission: Winter 2002 15 Concept design images + animation 2000 Michael Maltzan Architecture Kidspace Children’s Museum Pasadena, CA Opened Spring 2005 4 Design development images + animation 1999 Preston Scott Cohen Torus House MoMA Unprivate House Exhibition Summer 1999 Concept images for MoMA permanent collection

READY TO RENDER? Q: What do I need to get started?

A: Drawings, a 3d model, or simply an idea we can run with.

Q: Anything else?

A: Request a discovery call.

We’ll discuss the following: 1. What design stage is the project?

2. When should we deliver final images?

3. Describe the look-and-feel of the project, the culture of the site and the time of day you’re most interested in representing.

4. Who is going to see the work?

5. How will the work be presented to the audience?

6. What is your budget?

7. When will you be ready to deliver materials?

Re:Play Destinations Ascent at the Phoenician

A SYMPHONY OF WOOD & METAL The Ascent development team enlisted Bulthaup as the exclusive designer and supplier of the luxurious kitchens found in all of the residences. Tasked with faithfully reproducing the high end designs, the MOLT team worked through numerous iterations with the design team, nailing the configuration, fit and finish of the kitchens. Buyers are encouraged to work directly with Bulthaup to further customize the kitchen to their own specification.

Re:Play Destination | Ascent at the Phoenician Architecture | Nelson Partners Interiors | Vallone Landscape | Floor Associates

INDOOR/OUTDOOR LIVING Outdoor fireplaces, private patio gardens and large sliding doors connect the indoor and outdoor spaces and encourage a seamless flow for residents. We create layers of furniture, accessories and light to enliven the spaces, providing good spacial sequencing and suggestion of how the spaces should live and feel.

Re:Play Destination | Ascent at the Phoenician Architecture | Nelson Partners Interiors | Vallone Landscape | Floor Associates

Re:Play Destination | Ascent at the Phoenician Architecture | Nelson Partners Interiors | Vallone Landscape | Floor Associates

Re:Play Destination | Mountain Club Architecture | Nelson Partners Interiors | Vallone Landscape | Floor Associates

COMPETITION ENTRY

The visualization for the Memorial to the Victims of the 1871 Chinese Massacre took place over a two week period in January, 2023. The project is currently a finalist awaiting the winning announcement from the design jury. Once the final site

Figure.Office x Studio.Jih | Memorial to the Victims of the 1871 Chinese Massacre

photography was received from the client, the final images to be camera and light matched were selected. The result is a stunning combination of design excellence and high quality execution of the rendered and composited images.

Above Image | Figure.Office x Studio.Jih

Re:Play Destinations | Alcove at Keystone

Re:Play Destination | Alcove at Keystone Architecture | DTJ Design Interiors | Unscripted Interiors

Olson Kundig | Architecture Character Study | MOLT

PRECISELY CRAFTED SPACES Mill District represents a design synergy between an AD100 award winning architecture firm, a 3-Michelin Star restaurant, inn and farm, an award winning creative agency and MOLT Studios; culminating into a marketing campaign that is timeless and enduring.

Re:Play Destination | Mill District Architecture | Olson Kundig Interiors | Single Thread Creative | StoryDriven

Re:Play Destination | Mill District Architecture | Olson Kundig Interiors | Single Thread Creative | StoryDriven

Embarking on a remarkable journey, the Mill District x MOLT collaboration was born out of our enduring partnership with Olson Kundig. In 2020, upon Olson Kundig’s recommendation, StoryDriven introduced MOLT to Re:Play Destinations, the project’s visionary develop. From day one, our teams faced the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic and its impact on the collaborative process of image-making.

Undeterred, we asked ourselves: How do we craft world-class visuals for a specific site without being able to visit it in person?

Embracing the challenge, we forged new working relationships and engaged local creatives (Kim Carroll Creative) for film and photography. With these assets in place, our integrated model of image-making would commence. In 2020, we began what is slated to be an 8-year engagement with the Re:Play team to develop marketing assets for this multi-phased project. Despite obstacles, our collaboration with the marketing team has yielded extraordinary results: exceptionally high luxury real estate click-through rates and a productive sales campaign.

CASE STUDY Phase 1: Canopy Residences Static Images: 38 Cinegraphs: 6 Animation: 1

PROJECT KICK-OFF DATA & INSPIRATION Prior to the initial meeting we’ll send a request for information including material specs, drawings, 3d models, and inspirational imagery. Our team pours over the information, familiarizing ourselves with the project documents and forming some initial thoughts on the trajectory of the production pipeline - phasing, priorities, missing information and precedents

Design data delivery: Revit model, landscape plans, furniture specs, material specs and reference photography.

Inspiration from all parties: Images depicting lighting conditions, landscape, composition, accessories, art, materiality, and entourage.

Interior material palette - dark scheme Mill District

DIGITIZATION OF PHYSICAL SAMPLES Material Development - Ideally, early in the project, we are able to gather physical samples of the principal materials of the project. We’ll photograph the materials under a known color temperature of light and use the photographs as reference for shader development and color grading.

INTERACTIVE CLIENT COMMUNICATION In addition to our formal reviews, we use Miro as a digital whiteboard for client communication. Your team has access to the boards to upload inspiration, material photography, drawings, sketches, and specs. Moreover, everyone with access to the project will see draft images and be able to add comments throughout the project development.

IMPROVISATION A REMOTE SITE VISIT VIA DRONE

Improvised remote site visit | Screenshots from our call with Kim Carroll

Kim Carroll Creative via video call: In the early days of our orientation to the Healdsburg project site and for reasons related to the pandemic shutting down non-essential travel, Kim was able to tour our team through the site via drone. While

piloting the drone, he positioned his phone, with a live Zoom call, such that we could see the live feed of the drone camera. The video feed and Kim’s narration combined with the telemetry data from the drone gave us a great sense of the heights of the

heritage Redwoods on the site. Kim subsequently captured a series of 360 spherical images from the elevations of each level of the building. We utilized these captures for reflection environments and background photography throughout the project.

Top: Site layout for the deployment of 3d plants Right: Recipe for ground cover plantings Below: Planting reference, 3d digital models, landscape concept

PLANNING THE PLANTINGS Our team is obsessed with landscape and plantings. To satiate our inner landscaper, we embark on extensive research of the horticulture of the site and plant species. This work ensures the resulting plantings in our digital deliverables are accurate in scale, texture, color and seasonality.

GROUND COVER

PAINTING WITH LIGHT Once an image is rendered in its raw state, the Corona Image Editor (CIE) enables massive flexibility in the final light levels, affording us an opportunity to provide either a variety of lighting solutions or to pull the light levels down to the LOG profile. The second ensures ultimate latitude in our color grading environment, DaVinci Resolve. We often jump on a video conference with the project team to explore lighting refinement in real time, accelerating the process by way of eliminating the need to another email thread discussing the importance of key to fill and color temperature.

Upper Left: Corona image editor Top right: Canopy hero image Bottom row: Lighting precedents

CLIENT ORIENTED COMMUNICATION

Material Development: In an ideal scenario, we initiate the project with the collection of physical samples representative of the project’s key materials. This enables us to meticulously photograph the materials under a carefully controlled color temperature. These photographs then serve as a guide for the development of shaders and color grading, ensuring the utmost fidelity to the original materials in our renderings.

SIMULATION | PARTICLE SYSTEMS Our animation work is born of a love for the cinematic movement found in real world film making. Camera shake and subtle undulating movements are evident in even the most stabilized of footage. To achieve this level of realism in our work, Craft Director Studio is used to imbue our virtual camera work with simulated camera shake and fluid but natural movement.

Particle Simulation (Fire)

Particle Simulation (Fluid)

Simulation Preview (Fire)

Simulation Preview (Fluid)

Render in scene (Fire)

Render in scene (Fluid)

Analysis, effort and patience is a must when simulating real world elements such as fire and water. The pipeline we find most effective for creating both static and animated content utilizes advanced particle simulation through Phoenix FD. These simulations, once dialed in provide physically accurate flame and fluid dynamics.

Left: Craft Director Studio Right: Chaos Phoenix FD

ANIMATION STORYBOARDING & FEEDBACK

Similar to our static image production work flow, animation analysis and storyboarding is completed in a client facing digital whiteboard, Miro. Film and/ or animation analysis of precedents affords us a better understanding of the cadence and story arc that has been deployed to create the precedent work.

Using this information, we can jump-start the design of the animation, using a similar language between our design team and you, the client.

Upper left: Precedent analysis Upper right: Storyboarding Lower: Syncing the audio track with the final animation

Log

Graded

NON-DESTRUCTIVE COLOR CORRECTION

Upper: DaVinci Resolve color panel/masking cabinets Lower: Comparison - Log Image vs. Color graded result

Log

Graded

Log

Graded

Borrowing from professional color artists, we’ve adopted the parametric color grading tools from DaVinci Resolve. This is a non-destructive, real time color grading software and hardware. The interface is a set of three wheels similar to what a DJ would use for mixing electronic music. In our case, instead of mixing music, we mix red, green and blue through vector scopes and wave parades to achieve a natural tonality to the images, reinforcing a photographic appearance.

These powerful tools also allow the selection and masking of scene elements through luminance, hue, saturation, and RGB masks making it an ideal solution for post render changes to the color of any individual element in the scene.

PROJECT DELIVERY In the intricate blend of precision and realism, our creations are both engaging and flexible, easily transitioning between digital, print, and cutting-edge VR mediums. Our methodology evolves congruously with the changing visions of our partners. A journey with us often sees the transformation of simple web-based images into grandiose print formats and visually arresting site hoardings, or the strategic segmentation of comprehensive animations into bite-sized, yet impactful teaser content for social media platforms.

A particularly rewarding aspect of our work is the creation of immersive VR experiences. Here, we often find ourselves as the pioneer explorers of these freshly minted digital “spaces”, offering an exciting prospect for both us and our partners.

This portfolio serves as a testament to our profound passion for our craft and the robust, warm relationships we’ve cultivated with our clients. Many of these professional associations have bloomed into friendships, a testament to the shared creative journeys we’ve embarked upon.

We are thrilled at the prospect of working with you, collaboratively transforming your visions into more potent and dynamic visual narratives in a nurturing, efficient creative environment. We express our gratitude for considering us as your partners in this exciting endeavour.

Sincerely, Your friends at MOLT Studios.

DELIVERABLES REAL ESTATE MARKETING Our static image deliverables are rendered at 7,000 pixels in the longest dimension. Images up to 15,000 pixels are routinely created for specific print and advertising requirements including professional publications, large format hoarding and sales office assets.

This Page: Pictured above is a variety of deliverables for the sales program created for the Ascent at the Phoenician development in Scottsdale, AZ.

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE A SYNERGY OF THE PHYSICAL & DIGITAL The creations we produce frequently exist side-by-side with tangible prototypes, bolstering the architectural lexicon inherent to the project. Our clients place their trust in our proficiency to emulate the aesthetic and ambiance of the physical entity, using digital renderings of the available spaces. When the line between the architecture and the rendered image becomes blurred to the point of being virtually indistinguishable, it signifies the successful culmination of our endeavour - these instances serve as proud testimonials to the expertise and dedication of our artistic team.

This Page: The Mill District site hoarding and pedestal placards adorn the site during construction.

Upper Left: Mill District sales office and showroom complete with a physical mock-up of a Mandicasa kitchen and material board portraying the material options.

Lower Left: The print brochure for the Canopy Residences sales campaign, 2023.

2023

Recent Works Portfolio

MOLTSTUDIOS.COM INFO@MOLTSTUDIOS.COM 206.673.5020 IG: @MOLTSTUDIOS

Seattle, WA