Site research
Terrain, climate, codes and market facts, with every assumption listed separately.
Case study · Qaus, Islamabad · Concept project
From a map pin to a 4K film.
A mixed-use plaza with 429 homes on a real hillside. Research, design, BIM, engineering studies, renders and a film, from one brief.
At a glance
Qaus · Concept project
- Project
- Qaus, a mixed-use plaza with homes above shops
- Place
- A real plot in Zaraj, Islamabad; the building is unbuilt
- Client
- Our own studio showcase, briefed by Rohan Zakie
- Dates
- Brief 14 Oct 2026, 09:20; film delivered 15 Oct, 08:42
- Team
- AI agents led by Claude, with Codex building and reviewing
- Status
- Concept project. Not for construction, not an offer for sale
A map pin and a red outline.
The brief was a mixed-use plaza with homes on top, on a sloping plot in Islamabad. It asked for everything a developer's team would make before seeking approval.
We started from a satellite screenshot with the plot outlined in red. There was no survey, no level data and no soil report.
The real question was practical. How much connected evidence can a studio assemble before a developer commits to full design?
What we built.
Qaus · Concept project
Three massing options
Three building forms tested on the real terrain and sun; one chosen.
The design
A crescent of shops, a stepped street, four towers and a sky bridge.
BIM model
A federated IFC4 model of architecture, structure and services.
Drawing set
54 sheets: plans, sections, elevations, unit sheets and a sample MEP package.
Engineering studies
Wind, earthquake, sun and energy, fire and evacuation, rain and drainage.
Renders and 360° tour
Six exterior views and six panoramas, rendered in Blender Cycles.
Showcase film
A narrated 4K film with an original score and simulation inserts.
Brand and sales site
An English and Urdu identity, and a sales site with a flat picker.
Proposal and appraisal
A 72-page design proposal, a 20-page pitch deck and a cost appraisal.
Agents make it. Gates check it.
Specialist AI agents worked in lanes: research, architecture, simulation, services, BIM, cost, brand, web and film. Each lane stopped at a recorded gate.
Research and options
Agents gathered site, climate and code facts. Three massing options went to a decision, logged with reasons.
One shared model
Geometry and schedules came from shared data. Drawings, BIM and studies were all derived from it.
Test and render
Open-source engineering tools ran the studies. Renders and the film ran on our own GPU servers.
Independent review
A second AI reviewer, Codex Astra, checked each discipline. Its findings changed numbers and withdrew claims.
On Qaus, Rohan set the brief and the limits, then let our lead agent make design calls. On a client project, you approve every gate.
Problems found on screen.
The most useful results were the problems. Each was found while the design could still change.
Qaus · Concept project
The plot was smaller
Mapping cut the first area estimate from 3.08 to 2.40 hectares, with 25.4 metres of fall across it.
A cut slope failed
A 12.6 m temporary cut scored a safety factor of 1.17, below the 1.5 target, even when dry.
Parking fell short
The drawings route 325 parking bays against 507 needed under the demonstration rule.
Shade has a cost
Fins cut one flat's modelled cooling demand from 133.6 to 100.8 kWh/m², but halved its daylight factor.
Clashes, counted
The model lists 1,023 architecture and structure clash pairs, grouped with owners. Author-reported.
These are studies on a concept design with stated assumptions. They show where a real design needs work.
3D showcase · Concept project
Turn it. Test it.
A full turn around the Qaus BIM model. Concept project.
Mean airflow around the towers, from our own OpenFOAM wind study.
Steady mean flow, wind from the north-west at 3 m/s (10 m reference). Not a wind-comfort assessment.
The numbers, checked in the files.
Qaus · Concept project
| Label | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Brief to delivered film | 23 hrs | wall-clock, 14-15 Oct 2026, overnight pause included |
| Homes in the scheme | 429 | in four towers and three west blocks |
| Elements in the IFC4 model | 26,757 | revision P02, author-reported; independent review pending |
| Simulation clips | 22 | wind, earthquake, sun, fire and rain |
| Drawing sheets | 54 | including 13 sample MEP sheets for a typical tower |
| Design proposal | 72 pages | with a 20-page pitch deck |
| 360° views | 6 | plaza, street, garden, bridge, flat and roof |
| Showcase film | 4K, 5:35 | QC on every frame; AI narration voice, labelled |
What Qaus is not.
- Qaus is a concept project. Nothing was submitted, approved, built or sold.
- The terrain came from a 30-metre surface model from 2011-2014, not a survey.
- Soil, planning limits, prices and costs are stated assumptions that need confirming.
- Simulations use idealised models and placeholder inputs. They are not engineering sign-off.
- The model still has open clashes, a parking shortfall and plant to fit. Each has an owner.
- Four of the six exterior views passed our own quality gate; two are shown with their misses disclosed.
See the work.
Qaus, the showcase film. 4K, 5 min 35 s. AI narration voice. Concept project.
These are studies on a concept design with stated assumptions. They show where a real design needs work.
What we would do for you.
The same pipeline, with your data and your approvals at every gate.
Qaus · Concept project
Start from real data
Your survey, soil report, planning limits and drawings replace our assumptions before any study runs.
You approve each gate
You choose the option, approve the design freeze and sign off each render, study and cut.
Work with your engineers
Your licensed architect and engineers check our studies and sign the final design.
Built for your launch
Renders, film, tour and sales site timed to your launch, with your brand and prices.
Test your building before you sell it.
Send us your site, drawings and launch date. A person reads every brief and replies with a plan.
Plan your launch