Mixed Reality: 21st Century Technology Meets 12th Century Construction

Hannah Jackson, Project Manager, Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn

Norwich Castle is a complex building in which to work, with its uneven flint walls and many architectural features (and graffiti!) added over 900 years of constant use as a royal palace, then prison and more recently a museum. Conisbee, the Royal Palace Reborn project structural engineers have therefore called upon the most modern of technologies to support their design work on this exciting transformation.

Working with the specialists at UrbanXR, Conisbee are using mixed reality holographic technology to plot and check the layout of the new steel structure which will support the new floors within this 12th century building. UrbanXR draws architects, urban planners, and software developers together, with a focus on collaboration, innovation and making the best use of the latest technologies within their construct.XR programme.

Impressive Trimble XR10 Microsoft Hololens2 site-ready headsets – a combination of a hard hat and a powerful pair of digital goggles – allow users to overlay the structural engineers’ model at a 1 to 1 scale. The hologram mixes the structural model with the real surroundings, enabling the team from Conisbee to see in 3D how the steel beams of the new floors, walls staircases and lift will interact with the grade 1 listed structure of Norwich Castle Keep.

The headsets also track the movement of the wearer’s head and eyes, and a microphone and Bluetooth communication means that they can communicate with team members still back at the office. Gesture control enables the user to truly interact with the structural model – noting items to check or change, with a full menu of tools to access and use whilst on site.

Tom Lefever, Associate at Conisbee, shared his experience of working with the new technology, saying that “the introduction of this additional layer of checking of the interface between the new structural insertions and the historic fabric has proved a surprise success. Conisbee has now appointed UrbanXR to its team and made this technology a formal part of the design process.”

Tom explained that “the positive impact of the early trials and the following workshops on the lower floor levels will be taken forward to be used on the upper (Mural Passage and Roof) levels. In these locations the sensitive stone galleries, and handsome Victorian era timber Queen Post Roof trusses must be carefully worked around. Conisbee is proud to follow in the footsteps of previous innovators at the Castle!”

For the team at the museum, a chance to try on the headsets during a Conisbee site visit provided a glimpse of what the new layout of Norwich Castle keep will look like once works are completed. The team were able to view the different floor levels including the new principal floor which will ultimately feature the recreation of the Great Hall, medieval kitchen, King’s chamber and chapel all as they would have been in the 1120s. Being able to stand within the space and see the new structure superimposed onto the historic fabric certainly made the plans come to life.

Although they look like a VR headset, this is not Virtual Reality, which completely takes over your vision. Nor is it like the AR (Augmented Reality) apps or games you might use on your tablet or phone, which use your device’s camera to track your surroundings and overlay additional information on top of it. This goes a step further to truly create a Mixed Reality – and the work that UrbanXR are leading on is unique within the construction industry. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the team were recently awarded Highly Commended at the Constructing Excellence National Awards. Congratulations!