The 360-degree Theatre at Concord Pacific's Burnaby Presentation Centre presented many firsts for LIV Design Studio, and for immersive experiences of this nature. What began as a cutting-edge concept became reality through precise planning, innovative technology, and LIV Design Studio's in-house designed hyper-realistic 3D renderings.
In this Design Deconstructed article, we will transport readers through the ideation, planning, and implementation processes behind this groundbreaking work, lifting the curtain on the groundbreaking achievements of our interior designers and CG artists.
[Pictured in header: Animated rendering of the amenity pool room at Greenhouse by Concord Pacific, designed by LIV Design Studio]
Concept – Exploring the Unknown
"From the outset, we hoped to create something truly special through the 360-degree Theatre. While there were multiple examples we could draw from of similar projects using three or four flat screens, our team drew inspiration from the 'Cerebro Room' from the X-Men comic series. There was no precedent for this, but we were determined to make it a reality."
–Matthew Schilling, Lead CG Artist at LIV Design Studio
When our clients at Concord Pacific approached us with the desire to create an immersive theatre experience to showcase their new projects, we knew this undertaking had to surpass the conventional. The initial visual experience was planned to capture the old-world grandeur of the forthcoming Greenhouse residential community, using aerial drone footage of Europe's most historic castles, plus hyper-realistic renderings created by LIV Design Studio's CG artists, to form an immersive audio-visual experience like nothing else.
Originally, our research revealed that most immersive rooms are cubic, with images projected on three or four flat surfaces. We envisioned something much more epic in scale, however: a cylindrical room where images wrap around the viewer, creating a truly immersive environment with unparalleled detail.
This ambitious concept, while exhilarating in its possibilities, introduced a host of complexities which the LIV Design Studio team was eager to tackle.
[Pictured here: Behind-the-scenes photos of the 360-degree Theatre construction process, courtesy of LIV Design Studio]
Planning – Designing an Immersive Experience
Creating an immersive, 360-degree theatre experience required both meticulous planning and technical ingenuity. One of the first considerations the LIV Design Studio team faced was how to display an image with the necessary clarity. To this end, state-of-the-art laser projectors were chosen for their ability to produce strong, detailed images at short distances. However, projecting onto a curved surface created significant challenges of its own, necessitating a software solution to adapt the linear projections to our cylindrical canvas.
Adding another layer of complexity to the matter, it was decided that projections would extend to the floor and ceiling, encasing viewers in a true 360-degree visual experience. This decision introduced spatial constraints: the maximum diameter of the room could not exceed 31 feet, and the height was limited by the projector’s optimal range. Calculations determined that a 10-foot-high image was feasible, requiring extremely precise placement of projectors with little to no margin for error.
[Pictured here: Behind-the-scenes photos of the 360-degree Theatre construction process, courtesy of LIV Design Studio]
Challenges
One significant hurdle was ensuring the projectors’ alignment to avoid gaps between the ceiling and wall projections. By staggering the projectors vertically, the LIV Design Studio team was able to achieve maximum image height – but even the smallest miscalculation could disrupt the entire immersive experience. Fortunately, our rigorous planning paid off, resulting in perfect alignment and full coverage.
The final challenge in bringing this concept to life was working with natural light in an enclosed space, which has proven to require constant adjustment and experimentation to achieve a near-perfect result.
"Usually a movie theatre is dark with a bright screen in the front, but here the majority of the surface in the room is active screen. This means the room has a lot of light bouncing around. It would be like turning on a bright light in a theatre; all of a sudden your screen isn’t as bright. By strategically lighting our digital content we’ve been working toward balancing bright and dark areas of the screen to create an overall high contrast level and hence a perceptually brighter image."
–Matthew Schilling, Lead CG Artist at LIV Design Studio
[Pictured here: Visual of the amenity room pool at Greenhouse by Concord Pacific on the Theatre projection floor, designed by LIV Design Studio]
Implementation – Transforming Concept into Reality
"One of the most interesting, but most challenging aspects of this project was that there was no blueprint for what we were attempting. Our team had to constantly incorporate new approaches to producing content, from testing cutting-edge AI technologies like neural radiance fields and gaussian splats for 3D rendering, to using multiple simultaneous video streams to maximize resolution. We learned so much from this experience and are eager to use the knowledge we've gained for future projects."
–Matthew Schilling, Lead CG Artist at LIV Design Studio
Thanks to months of careful planning and the hands-on implementation of LIV Design Studio's TECH/DESIGN/CULTURE ethos, the installation and setup process produced an immersive experience that was wholly in line with both the client's aims and LIV Design Studio's lofty ambitions for the theatre.
Despite the challenges of achieving ultra-high resolution across thirteen projectors, the team utilized AI upscaling to produce 8K content from a 6K source. The result is a visual experience comparable to the highest resolution of IMAX digital content, tailored specifically for close-up viewing. The inaugural theatrical experience transported guests through old-world Europe, showcasing the atmosphere and concept of the new Greenhouse residential community by Concord Pacific in unrivalled detail.
By providing the same degree of immersive detail as virtual-reality without the need for additional technology like a headset, it became possible to construct a truly immersive experience unlike anything seen before.
[Pictured here: Finished project photos of the 360-Degree Theatre, designed by LIV Design Studio]
Conclusion – The Future of Immersive Design
This project marks a significant milestone for LIV Design Studio, showcasing our commitment to fusing technology, design and culture to create unparalleled experiences. From the precision of our technical planning to the innovative solutions we developed, every aspect of this project reflects our sustained dedication to excellence in interior design and CG artistry.
We are just beginning to explore the possibilities of immersive design. With plans to further incorporate fully interactive experiences and leverage advanced AI technologies, the future promises even more groundbreaking projects. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey, as we continue to redefine the boundaries of interior design and technology.
[Pictured here: Finished project photo of the 360-degree Theatre projection floor, designed by LIV Design Studio]
