2024-05-04T02:59:29-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/139892887/nonscandinavia-an-open-source-image-collection-for-the-rest-of-the-world Nicholas Korody 2015-10-27T19:22:00-04:00 >2024-01-23T19:16:08-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/nz/nz8lhjvbpr8tjwzo.png?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>We believe that renderings reflect our aspirations as architects, and that our decisions about representation matter. Renderings should reflect the people in and around the site, and should project a future that values diversity and acceptance of all people. The goal of NONSCANDINAVIA is to give young architects and students access to a database of free, high-res, PNG images that reflect diversity in all its forms.&nbsp;</p></em><br /><br /><p>The world of architectural renders is a strange place. Here, the air is hazy yet skies are blue. Trees grow translucent and lawns are always green. Buildings are illuminated by perhaps two or three suns. Little girls roam cultural centers alone, clutching red balloons.<br><br>And just about everyone is a young, white, hipster from Northern Europe.<br><br><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/fs/fss8vrquzxxspy6i.jpg"><br><br>Thankfully, life in most cities isn't like this. And, while there's much to be said about the problematic overuse of architectural renders in general, it seems like they're here to stay (at least for the time being). A render can help sell a project, conveying a space much more eloquently to a lay person than a plan or&nbsp;axo &ndash; if not more factually. But that doesn't mean that these imaginary worlds have to be so homogenous.<br><br><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/as/as892pjptnjuhop0.jpg"><br><br>Nonscandinavia, a project from the student group A-Frame at Columbia University GSAPP, comprises a open-source collection of hi-res PNG images, "dedicated to increasing diversity in architectural representation." As the name sugges...</p>