PHORIA joins Willow, Investa and Land Surveys to create the world’s first AR Digital Twin

Launching at Sixty Martin Place in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, this cutting-edge AR Digital Twin revolutionises spatial data management, cementing smart IoT-enabled buildings as the standard for future developments.

Today Melbourne-based immersive technology studio, PHORIA, announced news of the world’s first Augmented Reality (AR) Digital Twin in partnership with leading digital twin experts, Willow, and pioneering Australian commercial office developer Investa. The Sixty Martin Place: AR Digital Twin operates within the 33-level skyscraper at Sixty Martin Place, Sydney NSW, co-owned by the Investa Commercial Property Fund (ICPF) and Gwynvill.

Investa and Willow developed Australia’s first digital twin for operations at Sixty Martin Place, with contractor Lendlease. Upon building completion, Willow integrated 71,848 digital assets and other data sources with their WillowTwin™ software platform, to create a smart and tech-empowered built environment.

In a new partnership between Investa, Willow, PHORIA and Land Surveys, Sixty Martin Place is set to become the cornerstone of spatial data visualisation in Australia.

PHORIA, who are world leaders in AR technologies, collaborated with Investa and Willow to develop an AR application that could align digital twin data with the real-world environment and enhance the user experience available at Sixty Martin Place.

CEO and Co-Founder of PHORIA, Trent Clews-de Castella, commented on why data integration into an AR Digital Twin is so powerful:

“Our vision for the future is one empowered by spatial data and digital twins. As data persists in our physical world, Augmented Reality gives us fast access to layers of meaningful information. This newfound spatial context informs onsite decision-making like never before, saving valuable time and resources across a variety of industries.”

Experts in 3D scanning and spatial data management, Land Surveys, both scanned and surveyed Sixty Martin Place during construction, before working closely with PHORIA to generate a 99% accurate 3D model of the physical building.

CEO of Land Surveys, Peter Rullo, explained why 3D scanning is crucial to the process of aligning spatial data:

“To fully realise the power of a digital twin in the AR environment it requires an accurate 3D scan to provide alignment and continuous navigation for the user. The 3D scan works hand in hand with the digital twin and therefore accuracy and quality are paramount to provide optimal performance.”

Global Head of Digital at Willow, Daniel Kalnins, expanded on why AR Digital Twins will transform the future of industry and facilities management:

“Digital twins provide an intuitive way to store, organise and access the big data generated by complex real estate and infrastructure assets. Data once buried in proprietary systems and controlled by equipment manufacturers becomes accessible and intelligible to owners and users of the built environment, creating significant value for asset owners, managers and occupiers.”

“Sixty Martin Place is a project that pushed traditional boundaries and challenged the industry by integrating technology into the heart of the development brief, so it was an easy decision for Investa to participate in this endeavour. As a business we are investing heavily in platforms that can provide greater decision intelligence by generating game changing insights. Harnessing the combined power of digital twins and Augmented Reality allows us to provide a previously unexplored user experience through an interactive 3D model of Sixty Martin Place. This ensures owners, tenants and all users who interface with the building can enjoy a superior level of service and interaction with their environment.”

Chiu continued:

“Utilising the open data available in the building, a range of features are currently operational within the AR environment, including a BIM Overlay, IoT data, live temperature sensors and a timeline view of the building. These features offer incredible new management capabilities, specifically across commercial real-estate, engineering and insurance industries.”

The Sixty Martin Place: AR Digital Twin marks the beginning of this AR Digital Twin initiative between Willow, PHORIA and Land Surveys, as they look to expand the reach of digital twins across Australia in the future.

About PHORIA
PHORIA is a world leading immersive tech studio that specialises in cutting-edge Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) technology. With a globally recognised team of developers, creatives and partners, PHORIA are on a mission to transform human experiences and augment intelligent environments. They create powerful user interactions and social experiences, all with the goal to generate a positive impact on the world.

About Willow
Willow is the ‘digital twin’ for the built world. Our solution enables the owners and operators of major portfolios and infrastructure to manage with greater efficiency, drive operational improvements at scale and provide their occupants with an enhanced and more connected experience. Willow is a global technology company with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Seattle, New York, London, Utrecht, Manila and Tel Aviv.

About Investa
Investa is a commercial real estate management and development service provider in the Australian office sector. With more than $12 billion in assets under management, we maximise the value of Australian workplaces for our tenants, investors and the community through our office management expertise and by consistently delivering a superior customer experience, while remaining an industry leader in sustainable building management and responsible property investment.

About Land Surveys
Established in 1997, Land Surveys has continued to grow and expand as one of the most diverse surveying and geospatial companies with offices across Australia and overseas. With more than 300 professional surveyors and geospatial specialists, Land Surveys has become an industry leader due to the demand for more comprehensive surveying and geospatial data centric services in the built environment.