Project Scope
Arrowstreet hosted a Design Charette with WSP, the structural engineer for the Massport Terminal E project, through the utilization of VR experiences during the critical programming phase of the project. The charrette began with viewing 360 images and progressed through a series of immersive walk-throughs of different airport approaches that exist today at Terminal E from passenger drop-off, to parking lots, egress, exits and site lines to and from the terminal.
This was the first time Arrowstreet has been successful at truly visioning the possibilities together with an engineering partner to inspire design thoughts that go beyond traditional garage designs. Both teams were able to view various Revit models of proposed garage designs in a fully immersive medium.
VR as a Design Tool
The use of VR allowed the team to critically evaluate the way end-users will experience the following design elements for the garage and have a more informed discussion about design options:
1. Explore how close vehicular entry ramps are to the new terminal expansion and garage
2. Study the impact of various heights and massing scale for the garage—for visibility and site lines
3. Virtually drove into the garage to experience entry and navigation
4. Looked at views from the new terminal looking back at garage which resulted in prompting questions like:
How do we create a structure that is more
pleasant to look at; more elegant?
Should we consider curved edges to soften the look?
Let’s research interesting façade materials
What lighting and projection can be
used to enhance its visual appeal
Let’s consider set back cable rails and spandrels
As the design process unfolds, the team is continuing to use VR
as part of the weekly collaboration on this project.
