Nature, Architecture and BIM

By Editorial Staff - 1 September 2025
GRAPHISOFT ITALIA has participated in the project

Conceived through a fusion of innovation, advanced technology and the bold vision of both clients and architects, Sphere is a next-generation residential complex designed by Morph in the heart of Sotogrande. The project’s curved forms, soaring glass walls and light, airy open spaces dissolve the boundaries between indoors and out, while the use of natural materials and a neutral color palette enhance the sense of relaxing calm, wrapping each room in soft, luminous serenity. The final design – 33 properties, each with three or four rooms, and an equal number of openings from which to enjoy the lush surrounding greenery – was selected from ten initial concepts developed in parametric BIM.

Shaped like a semicircle around a central pool, Sphere echoes the form of a plant stem and its leaves, making nature an inherent part of the design. This underlying organic logic extends to deep terraces, green
roofs and private gardens reaching up to
155 sq. m.

To bring Sphere to life, Morph relied heavily on the software applications in Graphisoft’s Open BIM platform, especially Archicad and BIMx. Founded in 1982, Graphisoft has long championed a more intuitive, integrated approach to digital design. Archicad proved essential not only in modeling Sphere’s structural framework, but also in driving the performance benchmarks that underpinned its environmental and wellness credentials. Thanks in part to Archicad, Sphere met the requirements for BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability and energy efficiency assessment method; the WELL Building Standard, which prioritizes health and well-being; and LEVEL(s), EU’s performance framework for buildings with low environmental impact. “Archicad is incredibly simple and intuitive – you can trim a shape, add a slope and instantly see the result”, says César Frías, founder of Morph. “Innovation drives everything we do. It is the only way to move forward”. Other digital tools also shaped the project: BIMx served as a working model for VR walkthroughs and presentations; Rhino was used to model Sphere’s complex geometries, later exported into VisualARQ, its architectural plug-in. Archicad was then used to render the geometry in final documentation.

Using such tools is one of the reasons why Morph continues to redefine what contemporary design can be with projects like Sphere and seven of Spain’s 50 tallest towers to its name.