Modular building and skyboxes

Today I have been trying to get better architecture in my skybox. Here's an idea of my modular workflow(still learning):

I referenced from this building, which is a classic example of old Chicago architecture:

And here's a shot of the very WIP diffuse:

As you can see, not that good. The normals need fixing and the diffuse looks very blank and uninteresting: I will also need to sculpt some interesting fixtures when I detail the model.

Other things I've done today is work off feedback my colleagues gave me about my environment:

• The AO is too strong
• Too dark overall
• White assets break composition
• No discernable focal point...yet.

To remedy this, I tweaked the lighting and also tried using Lightmass when baking lights: the results were as follows:

The lighting feels much richer in the scene now, I think I will stick with this :)

Tomorrow I'm going to put more work into the building and try and get it into the level.

(P.s. this is the last post with screengrabs, as they are too low-res on the screen. after this I will use hi-res in engine shots for progress)