Prototype
Smart Building Digital Twin with VR
Award-winning VR system visualizing 3,000+ building sensors
A University of Sheffield research project exploring how virtual reality could help people understand a building’s environmental data. I built the prototype in Unity, bringing the building model and sensor readings into the same space.
Start with a real building
The University of Sheffield’s Diamond Building has more than 3,000 sensors recording its internal environment. This research explored how to make that data easier to understand by showing it inside the building it describes.
Put the data in its place
I brought the building’s architectural BIM model into Unity and connected it to sensor readings. Temperature, humidity and CO₂ levels could then be explored in a navigable 3D environment, with the readings placed in their physical context.
Share the research
I presented the work at the CIBSE Technical Symposium in 2019. The project received the Most Significant Contribution to Building Services award, recognising the research into visualising building data through virtual reality.
Explain the approach
My published article, Playing to Win, describes how the building model, sensor data and game engine fit together. It shows the prototype’s visualisations alongside the real building and people trying the VR experience.
Research and collaboration
The research paper describes the prototype and its approach to displaying past and present building data in virtual reality.
Published Research: Full paper • Short paper
I later extended the platform with ARUP Design, adding external data such as weather and wind conditions to the building’s internal readings.