James McNeal Architecture and Design
Your new house hasn’t been built yet, but you’re already there—standing in your future living room. You glance out the window and catch the same sweeping view you’ll one day wake up to. Thankfully, the sight line is just right. Your favorite artwork hangs above the fireplace—but something about the furniture placement feels … off. (You’ll have to ask your designer about that.)
This is the power of working with James McNeal Architecture & Design (JMAD), a design-driven and tech-savvy architecture firm bringing the future to life—literally—through immersive virtual reality. “We always work in 3D anyway,” says James McNeal, CEO and principal architect. “So, even before VR, we already had the models.”
James McNeal Architecture and Design
McNeal first experimented with the technology in 2021, when he would take clients to a dedicated VR arena to walk through a real-scale version of their design. Today, the firm uses portable Quest headsets and a Cloud-based app with a simpler, more convenient setup—no wires, no clunky equipment. “Ninety percent of our clients who try it in our office go home and get a headset the next day,” says Rob Hull, president and principal designer. “We share our 3D model through the Cloud, so clients can slip on the headset at home and launch the app. Depending on their space, they can either physically walk through the design or use a handheld controller to move around.”
While the client benefits might seem obvious—clearer visualization, fewer surprises, fewer change orders, and more confident decisions—the real value is in the nuance. Hull recalls a client wanting to test how far they would have to carry groceries from the garage to the kitchen. Another asked to see how a piece of art would translate in the great room. “I can take a picture of [the art] and put it in the VR model of a new home,” explains Hull, who adds clients can also toggle between options on the fly—like comparing a stone fireplace to a wood-trimmed version—or visualize how finishes, materials, furniture, and more interact across different rooms.
JMAD also brings trade partners into the experience, removing guesswork and elevating decision-making and execution. McNeal explains how tile installers can step into a virtual shower and understand the intent behind a complicated layout, finish carpenters can zoom in on intricate millwork details before stepping foot on-site, and builders can preview tricky framing conditions before construction starts. “They’ll ask, ‘How are we going to do that?’” he says. “We’ll go through the VR [model] together, and they say, ‘Oh, I get it now.’”
As the technology evolves—becoming more seamless, more photorealistic, and, as Hull predicts, as effortless as slipping on a pair of glasses—JMAD sees even greater possibilities ahead. But for now, the industry frontrunner is focused on what’s already impressive: giving clients the chance to step into a space that hasn’t been built, stand in their future home, and know, with certainty, it’s exactly right.
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