The Ecosign team fired up AutoCAD, a design software used by architects and engineers to sketch three-dimensional project drafts, and used PCs to plug in technical numbers for Olympic courses.
Mr. Martin expected the Butlers to reject his first sketch: a tall, skinny home much more ambitious in design, disproportionate in scale and costly to build than the surrounding homes in the area.
When he eventually brought together a design team he used one simple sketch, which he'd made in Cannes, and made one of the world's most innovative cars.