As part of the “BUWOG Alva” project in Potsdam, a 3D model is now available for every unit for the first time. This new construction project is the first to be developed in cooperation with us.
Learn how the project came about and what advantages our digital twins offer prospective buyers in this blog post.
In the case of BUWOG, we used the architects’ DWG files as the starting point for our 3D models. The challenge of the file format became apparent quite early on, as the plans naturally contained many details relevant only to the construction of the actual building, but not to the implementation in our digital twin.
Realizing the project required us to address questions such as:
In short, we faced several challenges, which we have now successfully overcome with the project’s launch. Another novelty of this project was that it was our first time working with attic apartments. Therefore, we focused intensively on the implementation of sloping ceilings, roofs in general, and dormer windows in particular. This also benefits our other customers, who can now easily create exact replicas of attic apartments themselves.
The “BUWOG Project Alva” is accessible via its own project website, which includes an apartment finder that allows for interactive selection of available units.
We provide the 3D models for each unit, offering our usual high-resolution views in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional formats. What makes our approach unique is that prospective buyers can visualize their future apartment even though it doesn’t yet exist or is still under construction.
The 3D visualization transforms each unit into a tangible experience for prospective buyers, who often struggle to visualize a floor plan. Thanks to our software, developers can begin marketing their project almost immediately.
Our vision: Buyers should no longer be forced to buy from a plan, but from the 3D model!
Thanks to our FPV mode, prospective buyers can not only view the property from the outside, but also walk through the models digitally. Our new user interface offers various options to suit different user preferences:
You can jump from one room to the next using the minimap.
On a PC, you can jump back and forth by clicking, move around using the arrow keys/WASD, and rotate with the mouse/QE.
On a smartphone, movement is controlled via the on-screen control panel, and rotation is done with your finger.
This allows users to easily and quickly explore the entire property.
Property developers typically receive only a limited number of architectural renderings, allowing them to provide interior design examples based on a model apartment. This was no different for BUWOG. However, since prospective buyers aren’t necessarily interested in what a model unit looks like when they’re interested in a completely different unit, we put our artificial intelligence to work. Our AI button photographs the perspective from which you’re currently viewing the property in FPV mode and simply converts it into a realistic rendering. This quickly transforms the three-dimensional model view into a visualization that reflects the future real-world conditions of the property – from any angle of the model chosen by the prospective buyer.
As soon as the project goes live, prospective buyers can change floor and wall textures to suit their preferences and see live previews of the alternatives. BUWOG provided us with samples of their project options, which we then integrated into our interface.
But that’s not the end of our vision for custom features. In the future, prospective buyers will also be able to choose their own furniture options. This includes custom features such as bathroom fixtures, where different faucets, sinks, shower/bathtub options, and more can be considered during construction, as well as door and window options. These custom features will be submitted to BUWOG with the initial inquiry, and prospective buyers will see the resulting additional costs directly in the configurator.
With our first project for BUWOG, we’ve gained a significant boost of ideas for future features. The overall concept is moving towards a configurator where, in the future, special features can be selected for each project. We also plan to integrate prospective customers’ own furniture directly into the respective unit using AR scanning and a dedicated customer login. Finally, we intend to integrate e-commerce, allowing users to drag existing furniture options from retailers into the 3D model and then purchase them directly from the respective online shops. In short, it will be a diverse range of options for prospective customers to furnish their homes in the future, regardless of whether they already own furniture or not.
Another major focus for us will be analytics. Here, we want to give our clients, like BUWOG, the ability to better understand user activity using a wide range of KPIs. This will allow us to better consider trends in interior design, as well as in the selection of units for future projects.
As an extension of AI rendering from the 3D model, we also plan to expand into video. Our Image2Video feature will allow users to create short video sequences and even complete video tours using images from the 3D model.
And last but not least: We also intend to develop our own interactive apartment finder, similar to the one already available for the BUWOG Alva project, to make it even easier to market new construction projects as a whole.
In short, a multitude of new features that you, as a developer or real estate agent for existing properties, can look forward to. A heartfelt thank you to BUWOG for the excellent collaboration on the “BUWOG Alva” project. We look forward to implementing further projects for BUWOG soon and wish them every success with their marketing in Potsdam.
As part of the “BUWOG Alva” project in Potsdam, a 3D model is now available for every unit for the first time. This new construction project is the first to be developed in cooperation with us. Learn how the project came about and what advantages our digital twins offer prospective buyers in this blog post.