Public engagement has come a long way from poster boards and static maps. In Stafford County, residents recently experienced the Brooke Road Realignment project in a way that felt more like stepping into the future than attending a traditional public meeting.
Our transportation design team used Virtual Reality (VR) to help the public see—and feel—how the redesigned roadway would look and function. Instead of flipping through plan sheets or studying flat renderings, attendees were able to put on a VR headset and “stand” in the future, viewing the improved roadway in both sunny and rainy conditions through immersive 360° visualizations.
The team created the full VR simulation with Civil 3D, Infraworks, 3ds Max, and Twinmotion using surveyed and GIS data alongside roadway and basin designs.
“Our team, led by Vince Sheehan’s expertise in Virtual Reality (VR), has provided our client the unique opportunity to allow its local citizens to experience a fly-through of their completed project while still in the interim stages of design development.
This innovative tool allowed participants in a public forum to put on a headset, look around, and really get a clear sense of what it will feel like to drive through the project when it’s completed, which also allows for more meaningful feedback given to designers facilitating the meeting,” said Brian Copeland, a principal on our transportation design team.
That feedback loop is one of the greatest strengths of visualization technology. Seeing a design in its intended environment helps the public identify potential concerns or opportunities early, when changes are still feasible and cost-effective.
“We believe gaining consensus from the ultimate beneficiaries of a project can be best accomplished by using visualization tools, like the virtual reality experience, and using feedback from this experience to adjust and improve the design,” Copeland continued.
You can explore the sunny-day version of the VR experience here, and be sure to click and drag the screen to see the full 360° view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnd4d0_nKLU
