img(height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=2939831959404383&ev=PageView&noscript=1")

VR makes itself indispensible

Words:
Felix Dodd

How 360° views helped a Slough residential scheme, the Chiswick Curve Enquiry, Cross-Harbour and 225 Marshwall win planning approval

Credit: Shutterstock

2018 was a good year for A-VR and with a surprisingly diverse range of completed projects the future for immersive technology feels very bright. We used virtual reality as an engagement tool for a major bank, and similar production techniques for an installation at Tate Modern just before Christmas. Due to the power of immersion, and the unambiguous nature of VR, we also found a great deal of value building content that supported the planning process. 

The UK planning system is extremely rigid despite modest increases for approvals in recent years. However, we supported several new developments in 2018 where VR technology helped improve communication during planning.

One of the first projects in 2018 was a residential development in Slough for Click Above Properties which was seeking consent. We decided to pilot some 360° views to remove any ambiguity from the visual material; Verified CGIs remain fixed viewpoint images and despite their accuracy this can be dynamite to a review board. By rotating the viewpoint in a 360 image it was possible to assess the relationship between the proposal and the context around that point, which in this case was particularly important. The application was granted.

We used the process again on three developments within the M25 – the Chiswick Curve Enquiry (Egret West), Cross-Harbour (CZWG) and 225 Marshwall (Make) – paying particular attention to the accuracy of the compositions and adding VR headset support. We developed a method for verifying the 360 for 225 Marshwall (Make), which  got consent and overwhelmingly positive feedback for the dozens of views we produced. Of particular note on that project was the ability to don a portable headset on site and see the building as it would be.

‘The inspector made an explicit reference to the extreme usefulness of the method to his understanding of the scalar juxtaposition in open inquiry and also made specific reference to it in the decision letter,’ commented Russell Harris QC. ‘He granted planning permission at least in part because he became comfortable with the nature of the juxtaposition he saw in the glasses.’

We are developing a planning package which will use immersion not only to remove ambiguity, but to engage its audience by layering all the key information into one experience. An example of this was the VR study we made for the Chiswick Curve public enquiry. We re-created a 2km by 1km area of the site, complete with a stretch of the M4, in VR. The simulation had day and night scenarios, and a virtual vehicle was  added so the impact of the proposal could be assessed as if driving along that stretch of motorway. Finally, all the 360 views were added as nodes throughout the model. 

Bringing the real world into 3D, creating a digital twin of a site, and using it to accurately develop and assess future developments, is the idea here as we begin to streamline decision making with virtual reality. 


Felix Dodd is founder director of A-VR 

Latest

The Architects Registration Board’s commission on the future of professional practice experience for architecture students has issued its findings. Their aims are laudable, but questions remain around implementing them, writes Alex Wright

Alex Wright breaks down the findings of the ARB’s commission on the future of professional training for architecture students

Flat roofs require many considerations, from practicality and appearance to material selection, performance, cost and maintenance. Mark Austin, technical director at SpecStudio, lists the elements to review to develop a thorough specification

Mark Austin, technical director at SpecStudio, lists the elements to review to develop a thorough flat roof specification

Great architects deeply understood, and responded to, their context. We should talk the language of now, but never let the status quo limit us, argues Muyiwa Oki

We should talk the language of now, but never let the status quo limit us, argues Muyiwa Oki

In Blackheath, south London, Francisco Sutherland Architects replaced a failing 1980s glazed linkway with a barrel-vaulted space that offers glimpses of newly landscaped courtyards

Francisco Sutherland Architects replaced a 1980s glazed linkway with a barrel-vaulted space that offers glimpses of landscaped courtyards

Propose an installation that 'transcends utility' for a square in Bridgetown, reimagine the civic centre of an historic market town, bid for a spot on a construction consultancy services framework - some of the latest architecture competitions and contracts from across the industry

Latest: Caribbean pavilion contest