Shin Takamatsu’s master-plans.

Starker is his portrayal of the Danziger House by Frank Gehry in 1964.

A rendering shows the Museum of Modern Art's 53rd Street entrance as it would appear after an overhaul of the museum's midtown campus. Image courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

The QueensWay, as the proposed bike path and walkway is known, would connect Rego Park to Ozone Park. Its estimated $122 million price tag might be paid for through a mix of public and private funding.

Librii (David Dewane: 2014) In a bid to leap-frog past analog ideas of what a learning center should be, the Librii concept, a shipping-container based digital library designed by architect David Dewane and funded on Kickstarter, may serve as an educational franchise for Africa. Currently in development, a test version is being constructed in Washington, D.C.

Renderings are also particularly useful when trying to decide between two different materials, colors, styles, or furnishings, because it can be very easy to digitally swap out a texture, color, table, or other option and then compare.

Rethinking the ecological infrastructure of the city’s harbor, this image depicts dlandstudio’s “vision of the city for the future.” Image provided by dlandstudio and ARO.

A rendering of dlandstudio’s Hold System at work. Image provided by dlandstudio.

A floor plan shows an example of the space's configuration.

Here's Wilson's honorable mention-winning proposal for Chicago's Spire Site, which he envisioned as an "urban Old Faithful" or "unnatural wonder," lofting rings of steam into the air every fifteen minutes.

Health and energy-efficiency are the foundation of Point Zero's homes—literally. Thanks to insulation embedded in their concrete walls, Point Zero basements don't leak heat and energy—they're the same temperature as the rest of the home.

George Nelson worked with Vitra to create a variety of wall clocks, including the Eye Clock, rendered here in luxe brass and rich walnut. Now considered an icon of midcentury design, the Eye Clock is a distinct departure from traditional clocks—it is shaped like an abstract eye, including lash ticks to mark the time instead of a conventionally numbered face.

The home is a customized version of the Method Homes Elemental 1 model designed by Pardo. Typically outfitted with one bedroom, the Monogram Modern Home has the same footprint, but with an expanded kitchen and great room in place of a bedroom.

This heroic view of the Hollywood Suites at Sunset and Vine in Los Angeles is indicative of Diniz’s style—epic architecture rising out of the surrounding bustle.

Shin Takamatsu’s master-plans.

Shin Takamatsu’s master-plans.

Tadao Ando’s “Urban Egg/Space Strata”.

Point Zero's homes come in a broad range of configurations: The Alexander is a single-level residence with an entry foyer that's nested between two light-filled wings. Thanks to their high-energy performance features, all Point Zero homes can be Net Zero Ready, meaning they would only need their own power source (such as solar panels or a wind turbine) to produce as much energy as they consume.

Point Zero homes don't just keep out the bad—by practically eliminating VOC chemicals, for instance—but they also let in the good. Each design allows abundant natural light and connections to the outdoors. The Berkeley, for instance, also features a balcony on the guest bedroom, a covered outdoor dining area, and a 252-square-foot outdoor deck.

For the 700-acre development site at Candlestick Point and Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco, he designed a master plan that seeks to re-create some of the city's lost habitat types, while at the same time improving environmental health, spurring economic development, and creating new open space and habitat.

In this illustration for the Chicago masterplan Diniz shows the view north from McCormick Place.

One of Diniz’s most vaunted clients was architect Minoru Yamasaki, whose “City” development in Orange County, California, got the Diniz treatment in 1965 with a wholly modern office interior.

The proposal, set for completion in 2017, calls for a main area sunk below the surface and covered with an irregular grid of 20-meter high canopy pieces that mimic the surrounding landscape. Image courtesy Heatherwick Studios.

As Heatherwick said in an official statement, “Instead of denying the presence of the desert that the city is built on, we set ourselves the task of making a park out of the desert itself.” Image courtesy Heatherwick Studios.

Diniz’s 1961 renderings of the Monarch Bay Homes designed by Ladd and Kelsey Architects offer a bucolic vision of mid-century living.

Here we get the same idea again within a controlled, rather groovy color palette.

At the opposite end of the "public spine" is the café, rendered here looking north from within (or near) the cantilever over the entrance.

Renderings of Ed Ogosta’s as-yet-unbuilt Four Eyes House, designed for a family, reveal a quartet of towers rising from a ground-floor common space.

In the Dwell-curated Energy 360/Technology pavilion on the show floor, expect a mix of innovative products, plus a display of photography from the pages of the magazine. Images from Dwell's story on clean-burning energy plants from the May 2014 issue will be part of the display.

Here, a rendering of Marlon Blackwell Architect's proposal.

Indoor-outdoor living was one of the main elements of Diniz's work on the Monarch Bay Homes from the early 1960s.

Q6: Location is a key factor. How important is it to consider your immediate surroundings and neighbors’ opinions? A6: It’s vital to understand your neighboring community and Piano’s design relates to its location in the Meatpacking District. Some examples: We achieved LEED gold status and also are working with the community on public art installations.

The esplanade of the 1961 Hollywood Suites suggests both the California sun and the push of progress.

A masterplan for Chicago from 1983 is inspiring for its detail and depth.

This ink drawing on mounted paper board is from 1963 and shows how powerfully tall the World Trade Center would be.

Moving back to large-scale work, Diniz was chosen to render Boston's Faneiul Hall Marketplace, a massive public shopping and gathering place just off the Freedom Trail.