Crafting Shanghai's tomorrow in the digital realm at Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center

Embark on a technological odyssey at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (SUPEC) as it unveils the "Digital Sand Table," a 5D Mixed-Reality marvel representing Shanghai's "Digital Twin." Central to this immersive transformation is Barco's projection solutions.

Context

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (SUPEC) is centrally located at People´s Square in Shanghai. In a quest to redefine its exhibition concept alongside modernizing the building, SUPEC partnered with project: syntropy GmbH to replace its physical city model with a dynamic virtual 5D model. This monumental undertaking aimed to engage visitors, VIPs, and professionals in an interactive and immersive urban planning experience which aligns with the mission statement and master plan “Shanghai 2035” through a state-of-the-art projection visualization system. The center piece of the exhibition is now the multi-level immersive „Digital Sand table”.

Challenge

The sheer scale of the 20m by 10m screen presented a unique hurdle. Balancing architectural vision with practical constraints, the design of the curved panorama screen had to be harmonized with the available space in the SUPEC building. Barco's projectors were chosen to provide high-resolution visuals on this massive screen, ensuring a seamless and immersive experience for visitors standing in close proximity.

At the same time, the different visualization solutions needed to seamlessly integrate with the game engine-driven rendering system chosen by project: syntropy, enabling the creation of a realistic, future-proof digital twin.

Solution

All this led to the creation of a 20m by 10m curved panorama screen, , resembling a gigantic wave which immerses visitors in a virtual environment, creating a truly captivating experience. project: syntropy delivered a turnkey solution, seamlessly integrating a Barco-powered multi-channel 3D-stereo projection system with twenty-three F80-4K laser phosphor projectors to bring the canvas to life with images of an inspiring new Shanghai.

Navigating the architectural space challenge, Barco's projection system played a pivotal role in providing a fully dynamic, captivating visual experience with super-realistic image quality. In addition, the Barco projection system complemented the game engine-driven rendering cluster. Supported by various tracking and warping systems dynamic eye points for varied user experiences are enabled, from visitor engagement to interactive VIP modes and analytical expert views.

The F80-4K12s are the visual storytellers, seamlessly switching between different scales of the 5D city model and creating an interactive, dynamic, and future-proof digital city model while ensuring flawless operation by non-technical museum staff.

Results

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center re-opened March 2023. As visitors step into this 5D mixed-reality marvel, they are welcomed into a digital realm that transcends traditional experiences. Thanks to project: syntropy and Barco's solutions, the "Digital Sand Table" at SUPEC stands as a testament to innovation, pushing the boundaries of technology and design to shape the future of urban planning exhibition experiences.