Architectural Drafting & 3D Rendering NYC — Precision Drawings and Visualizations from the Architects Who Design the Project
ArcheA Studio provides architectural drafting and 3D visualization services in New York City — as-built drawings, construction documents, schematic design sets, floor plans, elevations, and photorealistic renderings — for residential and commercial projects across all five boroughs.
Inaccurate architectural drawings are a direct cause of construction cost overruns. About 70% of construction projects experience costly delays due to inaccurate or outdated building documentation (CAD Drafter, 2025). Precision at the drawing stage prevents those costs downstream.
ArcheA Studio’s drafting services are produced by licensed architects — not by standalone drafting firms. This means drawings are code-compliant, DOB-ready, and fully integrated with the architectural design rather than produced separately and retrofitted.
3D visualizations from ArcheA Studio are built directly from the project’s design model — the same geometry used for construction documents — ensuring that renders are architecturally accurate, not illustrative approximations.
Drafting & Visualization by the Architects Who Know the Project
Architectural drafting and 3D visualization are most valuable when they come from the same team that designed the project. When drafting is outsourced to a separate firm, errors accumulate at every handoff — dimensions get transcribed incorrectly, design intent is lost in translation, and the resulting drawings do not accurately represent what was designed. When visualization is produced by a rendering studio working from incomplete information, the images look beautiful but do not reflect the actual building.
ArcheA Studio provides architectural drafting and 3D visualization as integrated services — produced by the licensed architects who design the project, using the same Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment where the design is developed. Our drawings are precise because we understand the construction logic behind every line. Our renderings are accurate because they are generated from the actual design model, not rebuilt from scratch by a separate studio working from PDFs and rough sketches.
Founded by Ana Kurtsikidze, a licensed architect with over 16 years of experience and a Master’s degree in Architecture and Design, ArcheA Studio produces architectural drawings and visualizations that serve their intended purpose: communicating design intent accurately, passing DOB review without revision cycles, and giving clients and stakeholders a genuine understanding of what will be built before construction begins.
Drafting & Visualization Services We Provide
As-Built Drawings NYC — Existing Conditions Documentation
As-built drawings document the existing physical conditions of a building — the precise as-constructed dimensions, wall locations, structural elements, window and door positions, ceiling heights, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) system locations — as they exist today, not as they were originally designed. In New York City, as-built drawings are required as the starting point for any renovation permit application filed with the DOB, and are essential for any architectural project where the original construction documents are unavailable, outdated, or known to deviate from actual construction. ArcheA Studio performs field surveys of existing buildings — measuring and documenting all relevant conditions — and produces accurate as-built floor plans, elevations, and sections suitable for DOB filings, renovation design, and property records. As-built drawings are delivered in AutoCAD (DWG) and PDF format.
Construction Documents — NYC DOB-Ready Drawing Sets
Construction documents (CDs) are the complete set of architectural drawings required for contractor bidding, DOB permit applications, and construction execution. A full NYC construction document set includes: architectural floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, exterior elevations, building sections, wall sections and details, door and window schedules, finish schedules, and coordination notes for structural and MEP engineering. ArcheA Studio produces construction documents that meet the specific requirements of the NYC Department of Buildings for permit filing — including the drawing designators, title block standards, and code compliance notations specified in DOB guidelines. Our construction documents are produced at the level of precision that allows contractors to bid accurately and build correctly, reducing change orders driven by drawing ambiguity.
Schematic Design Drawings NYC
Schematic design drawings are the first formal design output — scaled floor plans, exterior elevations, and building sections that establish the overall organization, spatial relationships, and massing of a project before detailed development begins. ArcheA Studio produces schematic design drawing sets for residential and commercial projects in New York City that serve as the definitive baseline for all subsequent design development. Schematic drawings are used for client design reviews, zoning feasibility confirmations, community board and LPC preliminary consultations, and developer presentation packages. They are produced with sufficient precision to communicate design intent clearly while retaining the flexibility to incorporate design refinements before construction documents are developed.
Architectural Floor Plans NYC
Architectural floor plans are the primary communication tool between the architect, the client, and the construction team. ArcheA Studio produces scaled, dimensioned floor plans for all project types — new construction, gut renovations, tenant fit-outs, and additions — at the level of detail appropriate to each project phase. Schematic floor plans establish spatial organization and room relationships. Design development plans add dimensions, wall types, and interior layout decisions. Construction document floor plans include all information required for contractor execution: structural grid, wall construction types, door and window designations, finish area demarcation, and coordination with reflected ceiling plans. All floor plans are produced in AutoCAD and Revit, coordinated with the full drawing set, and formatted for DOB filing where applicable.
3D Architectural Rendering NYC — Exterior & Interior
Photorealistic 3D architectural rendering translates a design into a visual experience that clients, investors, co-op boards, and planning agencies can understand immediately — before a single wall is built. ArcheA Studio produces 3D renderings for residential and commercial projects in New York City: exterior renderings that show the building in its urban context with accurate massing, materiality, and lighting; interior renderings that evaluate spatial volumes, material combinations, and lighting conditions; and detail renderings that communicate custom millwork, facade elements, and material selections at the scale where design decisions are made. Because our renderings are generated directly from the BIM model used for the construction documents, every dimension, proportion, and material specification in the rendering is architecturally accurate — not an artistic interpretation.
Architectural Visualization New York — Presentations & Board Submissions
Architectural visualization in New York City serves distinct audiences with distinct needs. For co-op and condo board alteration submissions, visualizations must show clearly how proposed work relates to the existing building and neighboring properties. For LPC historic district applications, renderings must demonstrate contextual compatibility and material appropriateness from the relevant street vantage points. For real estate marketing, visualizations must convey the spatial quality and lifestyle proposition of the finished project in a single image. ArcheA Studio produces visualization packages tailored to each of these use cases — drawing on knowledge of what co-op boards, LPC commissioners, and real estate buyers actually respond to in a rendered image, not just what looks visually striking in isolation.
BIM Services NYC — Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the digital design and documentation methodology in which a building is modeled as a single coordinated 3D database — from which floor plans, elevations, sections, schedules, and renderings are all derived. BIM eliminates the coordination errors that arise when 2D drawings of different disciplines are produced separately and then compared: because all drawings come from the same model, they are inherently coordinated. ArcheA Studio produces all construction documents in Revit, the industry-standard BIM platform, delivering project models that can be shared with structural and MEP engineering consultants for full multi-discipline coordination. For clients with ongoing portfolio management needs, we deliver Revit models at the completion of each project as a permanent digital record of the as-built building.
Shop Drawing Review NYC
Shop drawings are detailed drawings prepared by contractors, fabricators, and suppliers showing how specific building components — custom millwork, structural steel connections, curtain wall systems, precast concrete elements — will be manufactured and installed. Shop drawing review is an architect-of-record responsibility during construction administration: verifying that the contractor’s proposed fabrication details conform to the intent of the construction documents without replicating the engineer’s structural calculations. ArcheA Studio reviews shop drawings for all projects where we serve as architect of record, maintaining a live submittal log and returning reviewed drawings within agreed turnaround windows. We also offer standalone shop drawing review for projects where an architect of record is already engaged but where the CA team requires additional capacity.
How We Produce Drawings & Visualizations
Project Brief & Data Collection
We begin by establishing the scope, purpose, and required deliverables for the drawing or visualization package. For as-built drawings, we schedule a field survey and collect any existing documentation — original plans, previous DOB filings, building management drawings — that can inform the documentation process. For construction documents, we collect the approved schematic design set, engineering consultant information, and DOB filing requirements. For renderings, we collect design files, material references, and context information about the site’s neighborhood and urban setting.
Field Survey (For As-Built Projects)
For as-built drawing projects, we conduct a thorough field survey of the existing building — measuring all spaces, recording structural element locations, documenting window and door openings, noting ceiling heights and changes, and photographing existing conditions. We use both manual measurement and, for complex projects, laser scanning technology to ensure dimensional accuracy. Field survey data is organized immediately following the site visit, before memory of site conditions fades, and cross-referenced against any available existing documentation.
Drawing Production in Revit / AutoCAD
All drawings are produced in Revit (BIM) or AutoCAD, depending on the project scope and client requirements. Revit is used for all new construction and major renovation projects where multi-discipline coordination is required. AutoCAD is used for as-built documentation, standalone floor plans, and projects where the client’s existing workflow uses AutoCAD as its standard platform. All drawings are produced to DOB filing standards where applicable, including correct sheet formatting, title block information, drawing designators, and code compliance annotations.
3D Model Development & Rendering
For visualization projects, the 3D model is developed directly from the design geometry used in the BIM environment — not rebuilt from scratch by a separate rendering team. We apply physically based materials, configure lighting conditions appropriate to the site’s orientation and the time of day represented, and place the model in its urban context using satellite data and survey photography. Rendering output is produced at publication resolution — typically 4K minimum — suitable for board presentations, print materials, and digital marketing.
Quality Review & Client Coordination
Every drawing set undergoes an internal quality review before delivery — checking dimensional consistency, code compliance notations, coordination between plans and elevations, and completeness of required information. For rendering deliverables, we provide a preview for client review and incorporate feedback on material selections, lighting mood, and compositional framing before producing the final output. Delivered files include editable source files (DWG or RVT) and print-ready PDFs, with file naming and folder organization structured for immediate use in contractor bidding or DOB filing.
Where We Provide Drafting & Visualization Services
What Sets ArcheA Studio Apart for Drafting & Visualization in NYC
Drawings Produced by Licensed Architects, Not Drafting Technicians
Standalone architectural drafting services in New York City produce drawings, but they do not produce architecture. A licensed architect reading a field survey understands which dimensions are structurally meaningful, which wall conditions indicate load-bearing construction, and which code provisions apply to the building type being documented. ArcheA Studio’s drafting is produced by licensed architects — which means the drawings reflect genuine understanding of the building being drawn, not just faithful transcription of measurement data.
Visualizations Built from the Design Model — Not Approximated
Most architectural rendering studios in New York City rebuild a project’s geometry from scratch using PDF exports and verbal descriptions — a process that introduces dimensional inaccuracies, material misrepresentations, and proportional distortions that only become visible when the building is compared to the render after construction. ArcheA Studio generates renderings directly from the Revit model used for construction documents. Every dimension in the render matches the construction drawings. Every material in the render is the material that will be specified. The render is a preview of the building, not a marketing illustration.
DOB-Ready Drawings That Pass Review
NYC DOB plan examiners review drawing sets against a specific set of format requirements, code compliance standards, and completeness criteria. Drawings that do not meet these requirements are returned for revision — adding weeks to the permitting timeline. ArcheA Studio produces drawings formatted for DOB filing from the start: correct sheet sizes, title blocks, drawing designators, code section references, zoning compliance tables, and energy analysis notations. Our drawings are designed to pass DOB review on first submission.
Integrated Drafting and Design — No Translation Gap
When drafting is performed by the same team that designed the project, the drawings convey design intent at every level of detail — not just dimensions and material labels. The reason a wall is a certain thickness, the reason a detail is drawn a certain way, the reason a ceiling height changes at a specific location — all of these decisions are embedded in the drawings because the people who made them are the same people who produced the drawings. This integration eliminates the most common source of contractor confusion and RFI volume during construction.
Why Precise Drafting & Visualization Matter More Than Ever in NYC
Approximately 70% of construction projects experience costly delays due to inaccurate or outdated building documentation. In New York City, where construction costs run among the highest in the United States, the financial impact of drawing errors compounds rapidly.
New York City’s construction cost environment is unforgiving. A single day of delay for a full construction crew costs thousands of dollars in idle labor. A change order driven by an inaccurate as-built drawing can add $10,000–$50,000 to a renovation scope. A DOB plan review rejection caused by incomplete construction documents adds 4–8 weeks to the permitting timeline. Precision at the documentation stage is not a refinement — it is one of the highest-return investments in the entire project lifecycle.
The use of 3D visualization has expanded dramatically across all segments of the New York City real estate and architecture market. Co-op and condo boards increasingly expect rendered presentations rather than floor plans and elevations for alteration reviews. LPC historic district applications are strengthened significantly by contextual renderings showing how proposed additions relate to the existing building and streetscape. Real estate developers selling pre-construction condominiums and rental units in competitive NYC submarkets — Williamsburg, Long Island City, the Upper West Side — rely on photorealistic exterior and interior renderings to generate pre-sales and investor commitments before construction begins. A 3D architectural rendering from a studio in New York City starts at approximately $700–$1,500 per still image for exterior visualization; full interior and exterior sets for a residential development typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on complexity and image count (ProVisual, 2025).
For architects, contractors, developers, and property owners in New York City, the combination of precise architectural drafting and accurate 3D visualization is not a luxury service — it is the professional infrastructure that keeps projects on schedule, within budget, and positioned for approval at every regulatory and stakeholder review.
Common Questions
Start Your Drafting or Visualization Project
Whether you need as-built drawings for a Manhattan co-op renovation, a full construction document set for a Brooklyn brownstone addition, a photorealistic exterior rendering for a development board presentation, or BIM coordination for a multi-unit residential project across any of the five boroughs, ArcheA Studio delivers architectural drafting and 3D visualization at the standard of precision that New York City projects require. Contact us to discuss your scope and receive a detailed fee and timeline proposal.