ZHA Social Simulations was founded with the core hypothesis that the relationship between human behaviour and architectural space can be simulated, measured, and used to predict social interactions within the spaces we design. Harnessing this data, we create environments that maximise collaboration, focus, comfort, and well-being.
Photograph by Virgile Simon Bertrand
Case Study
The Digital Twin for ‘The New World’ exhibition at Guardian Art Centre Beijing offers an interactive experience of the exhibition by adding further information layers and enabling users to walk through the virtual space, interact with various exhibition models, and freely navigate and explore them at a 1:1 scale.
We developed the Workplace.AI platform. This interlinks a computerised behavioural simulator that measure individual and social interaction in relation to design, a digital spatial planning tool with learning capabilities that generates design options, and an experiential simulator capable of immersive navigation and interaction within each option.
Our collaboration on the MindSpaces project contributed to the development of a framework within which people interacting with workplace designs in virtual reality provided data on their behaviour, preferences, and other responses, via monitored electrical brain activity and skin responses.
Our work on interactive and immersive simulation environments in virtual reality (VR) has helped us develop new digital tools to optimise collaboration between ZHA teams and our partners around the world. Our platform integrates 3D computer models of projects with VR, enabling us to meet with consultants and contractors within the projects on which we are collaborating to view, discuss, and walk through proposed designs. The experiential nature of these tools facilitates collaboration and increases our productivity.
Research
Led by a culture of research, ZHA is always ahead of the curve because we never stop learning: experimenting, testing, refining, seeking. Anticipating challenges and developing solutions. Envisioning new possibilities, and finding ways to build them.