St James Quarter, Edinburgh
Client Brief
Luma's collaboration with Allan Murray Architects, Nuveen and the St James Quarter spanned the project’s entire lifecycle, from early design phases, local authority consultations through to completion. We worked closely with the whole team to provide innovative solutions, initially focusing on visualising concept designs through high-quality CGI and animations. We also developed an iPad app allowing Planners to virtually explore the city and view the proposed development overlaid on existing sites, strengthening their understanding and confidence in decision-making.
Following successful Planning Approval, Luma expanded its role to produce marketing, sales, and public engagement materials for different sectors within the development, including retail, food & beverage, hotel, and events.
Luma Approach
Our early integration with the Design Team enabled us to utilise and refine valuable data generated by all consultants. We creatively repurposed this data for diverse applications such as interactive VR tours, augmented reality experiences, online interactive tours, walk-through animations, and client-focused design concept testing, adding significant value throughout the process.
A key challenge was bringing a project of this scale to life digitally. We meticulously filled the entire development with minute detail, allowing views from any angle. Animated elements, including people, vehicles, lighting effects, and audio, were integrated to create an immersive and authentic atmosphere. This required developing new rendering techniques )and close collaboration with software developers to achieve our desired results.
Delivery
LUMA’s innovative approach proved invaluable during the pandemic when remote communication of high-quality material became essential for the project's commercial phase.
Through our continuous involvement and flexible development of innovative tools, we supported our client in establishing new practices and workflows for future endeavours.
The effectiveness of our work was recognised by the industry, earning a Scottish Design Awards - Commendation.
