PAYETTE’s Hacker Wins a Top Prize in the MIT Media Lab Hackathon

Recently, 3D Visualization Group Manager Dave Hamel and I participated in the annual Reality Virtually Hackathon at the MIT Media Lab. The event is an opportunity attend relevant workshops on Unity, Mixed Reality with HoloLens, MagicLeap, and Vuforia that furthers the firm’s AR and VR capabilities. After the first day of workshops, I teamed up with four other designers from different firms to compete in the three-day Hackathon to develop a VR application.

Building on previous work with PAYETTE’s acoustics research project, our team set out to create an interactive environment where designers can explore basic concepts and consequences of acoustic design in architecture. Our app, Sound Space, was inspired by the fact that VR technologies enable users to experience a computer simulated environment as if they were actually in that space. Building on these technologies, the app provides architects with a visual tool to be more sensitive and aware of the acoustic impacts of their different design options.

Working together with Christopher Morse (Interaction Designer, SHoP Architects), Adam Chernick (Interaction Designer, SHoP Architects), Sabrina Naumovski (Researcher, TerreformONE) and Zeyu Ren (VR Artist, RISD), our group took top prizes in the Best in Industrial & Commercial category, and Best Use of AutoDesk Forge Cloud Platform.

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