Keep Up to Date with VU.CITY
The sun has come out, and so has the Monthly VU! 😎
Summer has officially hit a city near you, and in honour of the brighter days, we wanted to brighten your inbox with the latest edition of the Monthly VU 🌞📩 We've got a whole host of updates and stories that'll get you geared up for another week working in the built environment, so without further ado, let's jump right in!
Gordon Ingram on Labour's Housing Agenda and NPPF
Gordon Ingram, director at VU.CITY, has written a thought-provoking piece on Labour's ambitious housing plans and the new draft National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF). Amid discussions on housing, affordability, and planning reforms, Gordon highlights the crucial role of technology in bridging gaps and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
🔗 Read Gordon's full article to explore the potential of tech in UK planning and housing.
Spotlight on Grey Belt Development
Last week, Labour shared their draft National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF), urging local authorities to identify "Grey Belt" land for development. Grey Belt land includes the edges of settlements, old petrol stations, and car parks, enhancing the focus on previously developed and brownfield areas.
In light of these changes, we’re excited to share our latest video, showcasing how you can harness the power of our 3D modelling platform, VU.CITY, alongside our generative design tool, SiteSolve. Discover how to pinpoint Grey Belt sites, create massing, design optimised buildings, and seamlessly integrate them back into VU.CITY.
Check out the video and explore how our digital tools can help you maximise Grey Belt opportunities!
Introducing the 'Building Heat Demand' Layer in London 📊
Our new 'Building Heat Demand' layer is now live for London, offering essential insights on heat demand, energy certificates, and address data for nearly every building in the city!
Watch the video to see how this powerful data visualisation tool aligns with the UK's drive for smarter, more sustainable cities. 🌍 🎥
VU.CITY's Bespoke ZTV Service 🔭
Our Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) service goes beyond the normal capabilities of the VU.CITY platform, while still leveraging its highly accurate base model. This includes:
Our advanced 3D models and data-driven approach deliver precise, efficient, and cost-effective visual impact assessments for any urban development.
Say hello to 2D Mode in VU.CITY 👋
You can now get crystal-clear, top-down views with our new orthographic viewpoints. Perfect for architects, planners, and professionals who need precise, true-to-scale representations for detailed planning and decision-making.
What's new?
📸 New Camera Panel Controls: Gain precise control with visual range readouts
🧭 Compass Button & Shortcut [P]: Seamlessly switch to Orthographic Top Down mode
💾 Save Views in Camera Study Panel: Easily revisit and utilise saved views.
Watch the video below to see 2D Mode in action and visit our page here for more details and to have a crack at our 2D Mode quiz to see how well you know some of London's most iconic buildings from above!
Present Your Proposals to Suit Your Context 🏙
VU.CITY now lets you seamlessly switch all consented, under-construction, and completed buildings to a sleek, standard grey. This feature clears the visual clutter, spotlighting your developments without distractions.
How It Works:
🔹 Quick Toggle: Instantly convert buildings on the timeline to VU.CITY grey with a single click.
🔹 Easy Revert: Switch back to the original colours whenever you need to.
Check out our video to see this feature in action! 📽 ⬇
Empowering Our Future Urbanists 👨🎓👩🎓
We looked at how the University of Glasgow leverages VU.CITY's technology and data visualisation tools to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application, preparing the next generation of urban planners. 🌆 Read the case study here.
Visualising Skylines: Manchester and Edinburgh 🏙️
Using our Consented Timeline Tool, we explored how consented developments and those already under construction will change the skyline of areas in Manchester and Edinburgh. Check out the videos below to find out!
Edinburgh
Manchester
Manchester Development Update Report 📋
Manchester's rise as a major economic and cultural centre in the North is unmistakable. To stay ahead, understanding the city's development trajectory is crucial. Our report that covers the major developments in Manchester over May and June provides just that.
By identifying key trends, evaluating their impact on Manchester's future skyline, and highlighting planning opportunities, the report offers stakeholders valuable insights (not least from our in-house planning expert Anna Mackay ) for navigating the city's evolving urban environment.
➡️ Read the report today and subscribe to stay informed!
SiteSolve is on the Cloud! ☁️
For those that missed it, SiteSolve, our generative design tool, is now accessible anytime, anywhere via the VU.CITY Hub!
Why is this a BIG deal?
1️⃣ Efficient Early Stage Viability Assessments – Assess more design options, faster, earlier and cheaper. Rapidly understand ‘the art of the possible’ for any site.
2️⃣ Regulation Compliant Optimisation Settings – Easily refine designs and optimise towards specified objective criteria, while enjoying peace of mind they’re regulation compliant.
3️⃣ INDUSTRY FIRST 🥁 SiteSolve <> VU.CITY Cloud-Round-Trip – Efficiently switch from SiteSolve to VU.CITY’s ultra accurate city context, utilise all our analysis features, and swiftly test your generated design options from every viewpoint.
Whether you’re shaping urban cityscapes or using tech to tackle the housing crisis, streamline your design process by exploring SiteSolve today from the VU.CITY Hub so that we can build smarter, together! 🏙️
To find out more, speak to one of our experts today.
Welcome Aboard, Liverpool City Council! 🌟🌇
We’re thrilled to announce that Liverpool City Council ouncil has joined 45 other planning authorities in the VU.CITY community! They’ll be leveraging VU.CITY to enhance collaboration between architecture firm West 8 and BDP (Building Design Partnership Ltd) ’s urban design experts on the visionary plan for Liverpool's iconic waterfront.
Christopher Wandel , Key Account Manager for Public Sector, shared, "It's a huge privilege to support more collaborative policy formation, which will redefine Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront, and to further embed our unique smart city platform into their processes, boosting overall planning efficiency."
Live TfL Camera Footage on VU.CITY! 🚦
Did you know? VU.CITY features live Transport for London camera footage, bringing real-time street views straight to our platform? It's a great way to leverage the power of live data for smarter city planning.
Check out the video below from some footage we took earlier in the month!
That’s a wrap for today, folks! 🫡
We hope this edition has left you feeling inspired and ready to go forth and make your mark on the urban landscape. And as always, don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. ✍️✍️
Make sure to visit VU.CITY and follow us on LinkedIn to stay in the loop with the latest news, features, and updates.
Warm regards,
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