A Nottingham architect has borrowed technology from the gaming industry to take his practice to another level.
James Brindley, director and founder of West Bridgford-based Design Haus Architecture, is pioneering the use of virtual reality to transform the architectural design process.
The firm has harnessed the latest gaming technology to help bring plans to life allowing clients to see if their vision for their project has been captured from the outset of the scheme.
James said: "VR removes the guesswork from the design process, as clients are able to explore the proposed design from within, rather than simply imagining the end result.
"They can experience the changing effects of light and weather conditions, producing a faithful and realistic representation of how the building will function once complete.
"This places emphasis on the enjoyment and practicality of a space, rather than a purely aesthetic approach.”
Pop on the headset and you’ll see the project in its entirety.
The residential or commercial building or extension and its surrounding are all there to see.
You can see any shadows cast by surrounding buildings, look out at the view and check windows give you the vantage points you expected, even see your furniture, to scale within the building.
The innovative system gives a complete picture taking out any guesswork.
Stephen Dawkins, a current client whose house plans have been brought to life using 3D VR, said: “When making a significant investment in your most important asset you need to trust the organisation you are going to appoint.
“This VR system was a significant game changer in appointing Design Haus for our unique build. To be able to visualise the final build and make appropriate changes at inception reduced the risk of costly mistakes and compromises during the build.”
Having seen current projects which have used VR it is easy to see the advantages.
James said: “City Heights, in Nottingham, is a timber clad structure which sits against the existing property.
VR was used to allow the client to engage with the proposal from the various angles of the plot. It also helped the client decide on what type of furniture would be best suited to the spaces created.”
Likewise, The Den in Keyworth, Nottingham is a modern building extension where VR was used to decide on the pitch and length of the roof canopy and the angles of the timber roof supports. Both permitting the maximum amount of light into the new rooms.
It also demonstrated how light and shadows would pass through the building throughout the day.
Again, the system helped to specify the internal finishes and plan the furniture.
Having tried the system jumping from garden to terrace and beyond to check out the view, swapping flooring materials to see the impact of the design change, it is easy to see that this isn’t just a gimmick but a design tool that has both time and cost savings elements as well as ensuring the finished project is exactly what the client wants.
James, who has over 15 years’ experience previously working for prestigious architecture firms, said: “Whilst firms such as Foster and Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects have used VR on multi-million-pound projects, I wants to bring the excitement and versatility of this technology to clients of all sizes including residential extension projects which are a huge financial and emotional undertaking for many clients.
He added: “It’s hard to put into words the impact that VR technology offers. It gives our clients a way to experience architecture at the design phase like never before.
"Instead of looking at a flat drawing on a piece of paper, they can walk around inside the finished design and experience it at full scale.”
