Consultancy offers a window into town hall of the future

As Manchester’s ‘Our Town Hall’ project moves into the next stage of development, Salford-based construction consultancy Oakwood is helping to bring the works to life through a fully immersive environment at this week’s Meet the Team events.

A huge part of the project is the revitalisation of Albert Square, which will be closed to the public for the duration of the extensive works.

Working on behalf of main contractors Lendlease, Oakwood has created a digital environment which will enable visitors to visualise exactly how the square will look during the project.

Using their new digital planning service Insite, Oakwood has created a visualisation to show an exact replica of the town hall and Albert Square, incorporating all external elements of the development works.

Visitors to the Meet the Team events will be able to use VR technology to enter a completely immersive environment and walk around the square experiencing the changes first hand.

Other visitors will be able to use Oakwood’s gaming technology to guide a virtual character around the site to visit the different areas to see how the construction works will affect the town hall square throughout the duration of the project.

While Oakwood’s work will focus on the revitalisation of Albert Square, aimed at updating its facilities and ensuring its future as a key focus for events and celebrations, the technology will sit alongside additional drawings and illustrations which will provide detail as to how the town hall itself will be improved.

The consultation events are being held at Manchester Town Hall today, Thursday June 27, Friday 28, and Saturday 29, when representatives from the city council, Lendlease and other stakeholders will be available to answer questions and provide additional information.

Insite, the technology behind Oakwood’s contribution to the event, has been developed by the company’s in-house team to empower its clients and enable them to examine their projects like never before.

In cases such as the Meet the Team events it can be used for stakeholder engagement, but it can also be used as a construction tool to optimise methodologies and improve health and safety, as well as a design and marketing tool by providing an interactive, customisable platform.

Manchester town hall is due to re-open in 2024.