Places exist even if they do not occupy physical space: immersing oneself in a place that does not yet exist
It sounds like an overly philosophical concept, but it has been passed on to us since we were children: things exist even if we cannot touch them. Stories exist, feelings exist, imagination exists and ideas exist. In the same way, there is the form we can give to all this.
When it comes to shaping design and interior design ideas, virtual reality is playing a key role for the real estate market, designers and engineering. Thanks to this technology, in fact, engineers, designers, architects and agencies have the possibility of showing an environment, a room or even an entire structure that does not yet physically exist. So far nothing new you will say, there is the photographic or videographic rendering that has been performing this task for years. Yes, if it were not a static method that still fails to actively involve the user.
If we told you that there are five reasons (the first ones) why virtual reality could simplify your design and sales process would you believe us? We'll try:
1. It simplifies communication and confrontation with the customer, as well as with employees in the various departments
It is no coincidence that we chose this as the first point: how many of you have had a negative or simply long and/or difficult experience with a customer? A miscommunication or misunderstanding can first of all cause frustration, for you, your buyer or even for a colleague. This also happens because many times understanding the technical representation of an environment in 2 dimensions, on paper or with rough illustrations, is not at all straightforward.
Perceiving architecture in an immersive way is perhaps the greatest plus of virtual reality in design, because, first of all, that is what people are looking for.
The design becomes virtual, thanks to the virtual it is perceived as real, and from there it becomes physical.
2. It saves time and costs
Approaching virtual reality may initially seem like a long process compared to producing a render, but it is only at the beginning. Do you remember when you used to spend hours in school creating summaries, so you could study faster? Imagine that feeling.
Thanks to this technology, decision-making processes are quicker: the total immersiveness and intuition that easily comes with it saves time and costs, because every required change is implemented in real time, without requiring people to move from one place to another in the city or the world, and without file transfers that sometimes prove dangerous and inaccurate.
And if the singer-songwriter Willy Peyote sang "But with this extra time, what do you do?" we have the answer: time is dedicated to understanding the project, and to controlling the site. The result is also a saving in terms of costs.
3. Reduces the margin of error
In other words, it anticipates problems: VR allows an immediate understanding of the entire project, checking any gaps or criticalities before it is too late. As a result, the project, as explained earlier, moves away from unforeseen or extra costs at the construction stage. Add to that the fact that being confronted with exclamations such as "how would the sofa in yellow fit in?" always makes us smile under the viewer.
4. Reduces the distance between the non-existent and the existing
Let's be realistic, the existing is immediate, a render of a non-existent structure is a little less so.
The use of this technology, however, allows one step further: through immersiveness and a live approach, one has a real and immediate perception of the space, without distorted perspectives or misinterpretations. This not only changes the vision of the spatial concept, but also of lights, colours, and the technical language used very often in architectural drawings.
5. The existence of valid tools for designing in virtual reality
Let us start from the assumption that the use of software and the opinion derived from it is quite relative. One thing is certain, however: most professionals in the field use tools such as Iris VR, Unity Reflect and/or Gravity Sketch. The difference between one software and the other exists, but there is also a great deal in common, namely the goal: to simplify the work of a designer.
Iris VR
Iris VR is a platform developed by the company of the same name, which makes it possible to design an entire structure quickly, sharing the model with all connected collaborators: it sounds easy, but if it really was, how come no one had thought of it before?
The same applies to UNITY REFLECT, another tool that allows you to create
interactive experiences directly from products created using models such as BIM/CAD. The logic is always the same: transform a 3D project into an immersive, full-scale, three-dimensional environment, allowing customers or stakeholders to share a job from start to finish, and make more informed decisions.
Gravity Sketch, on the other hand, we have talked about extensively in this article, a 3D design platform, which allows entire teams, in very different fields, to create, collaborate and elaborate design products, digital art and even concepting. All this, directly in virtual reality.
The Pentagon Real Estate project: the house before the house
Moving on to the facts: how does all this work, for example within a real estate agency?
This case study is an example of a simplified sales process, chosen by Pentagon. Thanks to an ad-hoc strategy and the use of virtual reality, the agency gave its clients the opportunity to explore and personalise properties that did not yet exist (or at least, not completely). In this way, builders and clients can confront each other and share useful feedback to make changes to the project before it is realised.
We are always keen to emphasise that despite plausible scepticism, there are a variety of uses that make virtual reality a tool to establish itself on the market and facilitate customer choice. They range from culture to medicine, from selling a brand to design. What is certain is that thanks to VR you are not just building a building, an infrastructure or a house, but an entire experience of designing, comparing, and buying. Are you ready to experience it virtually before you can actually do it?
