One of the first projects we ran in the early days of this magazine was an adaptive reuse project in Chattanoooga, Tenn. The photographer of the project, Harlan Hambright, used a special kind of 3D camera and technology from a company called Matterport to document the project and wrote about his experiences with the new technology here. Harlan is an architecture school graduate and was an early adopter of the system, which he believes is revolutionary. Apparently others now agree. At the AIA Conference on Architecture held recently in New York, Leica Geosystems announced that it has teamed up with Matterport and another company, Multivista, to create an “immersive online 3D experience” of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
The technology provides more than just a passive video tour of buildings. The result is, indeed, immersive, but most important, it’s interactive. Viewers can control the virtual tour themselves, pursuing what interests them as they cursor through the model. It’s a powerful tool that may ultimately eliminate the need to travel to see significant buildings. But, we know, dedicated architects will still make the journey to experience the building and the spaces for themselves. For others, however, who can’t make the trip, the virtual version is certainly an improvement over simple photographs or videos.
The team plans to document other buildings, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin home, Taliesin, is up next. We hope, of course, they get to Falling Water as soon as possible. Given the precariousness of the world these days, this kind of technology does whet the appetite to chronicle and preserve, at least virtually, our best buildings.
Explore the full 3D capture process and experience the model here.
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Neeta Patel, Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Foskett Creative, Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Foskett Creative, Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Andrew Pielage / © Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Photo: Foskett Creative, Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation