Some time ago, we reported on the launch of the Efficiency House Plus app (to the blog post). The app, which was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and the Home Affairs (then still the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety), was published in March 2018 and has since been used regularly by many interested parties.
The BMI and Zebau GmbH from Hamburg (initiator and responsible partner for the app development) have taken this success and the consistently positive response as an opportunity to commission the expansion of the app to include a virtual reality component.
Together with Zebau GmbH, we have developed a concept for integrating the 360° VR panoramas we are currently developing into the existing app. With them, users can now move around in virtual tours using VR glasses for smartphones such as Google Daydream. In addition, for the perfect 3D experience, the app also supports the use of Oculus Rift VR glasses, including control through the associated controllers. Last but not least, for seamless navigation within the VR world, the app includes an interactive map of Germany that lets the user literally fly to the different houses and ensures an impressive VR experience.
In addition to these technical innovations, Zebau GmbH has created numerous new contents via the Efficiency House Plus app, which is equipped with a CMS (Content Management System), so that in addition to the Information and Competence Center in Berlin, five more tours of Efficiency Houses Plus have now been added. These include the research hall of Ansbach University of Applied Sciences in Feuchtwangen, the Aktiv Stadthaus in Frankfurt am Main, and three Effizienzhäuser Plus from the Wuppertal prefabricated house world.
The app celebrated its premiere in January at the BAU trade fair in Munich. Numerous visitors, including prominent politicians, gathered at the Zebau GmbH booth and took the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of virtual reality. The visitors were enthusiastic about the technical implementation, as web-enabled VR apps that can be used with headsets such as Occulus Rift are the pinnacle of current innovations. For those interested in energy-efficient construction or those who are VR enthusiasts, the latest app version is now available for download from the Google Playstore or the Apple App Store.
We thank Zebau GmbH for great cooperation and that we could realize this project together.
further information:
- To the Efficiency House Plus web app
- Internet presence of Zebau GmbH
- Website of the research initiative Zukunft Bau
Links to the Efficiency House Plus App:
Written by Thomas Wessling on March 5, 2019