Recently, Regiane Laveli from Yulio had a chance to sit down with Flaviane Boeing, owner of Boeing Arquitetura e Interiores in Brazil. Flaviane is a Yulio user and one of the pioneers in using virtual reality for presenting architectural projects. We’ve grabbed some highlights from this conversation to showcase VR in action, and provide some real-life examples of how to implement VR for architecture into your workflows. You can catch the full recording of the presentation on LinkedIn.
A quick roundup of themes from this discussion:
- VR reduces uncertainty in client meetings.
- Approvals are becoming faster because clients can understand whether the space felt right
- Less revision and fewer surprises with VR
Regiane Laveli: Tell us about your vision of transforming spaces into experiences. And then, take us to that moment when you realized that traditional projects—traditional project presentations—were no longer enough for what you wanted to deliver to your clients.
Flaviane Boeing: I was always trying to look for something different for my clients. To bring something unique. So I started researching and looking into the technologies that were coming out. I saw VR headsets and decided to buy one. I started noticing the difference in project presentations right away. Before that, we had—not exactly a lot of revisions—but the client always left with a lingering doubt, you know, regarding the actual size of the room.
From the moment I started using the headset I saw it was something so important, I ended up just including it in all my projects, because it gave them the true sensation of the scale. And that made them feel more... they felt more certain.
They’d think, "Oh, wow, my living room is exactly the right size, the ceiling height worked out, the lighting is good." In short, every single house, every project I did, when I presented it in VR, there was that sense of enchantment, right? It led to a definitive decision, so when it got to the construction site, we just followed the plan. So, the virtual reality side of things was a real turning point for my offices.
Regiane Laveli: In your view, what changes when a client steps into a virtual reality presentation instead of just looking at rendered images and 3D models? Do you feel that this immersion truly reduces uncertainty and facilitates design decisions?
Flaviane Boeing: Very much so, because, let's say out of 10 clients I present projects to, maybe 2 have a spatial sense. And even then, when it's a house from scratch that the person hasn't seen built yet, it's harder. Out of 10, 8 people cannot grasp the scale of a 3-meter sofa in a 5-meter room. So, because the headset was so decisive, the client becomes very confident in approving the project.
Regiane Laveli: Now, talking a bit about project approval and approval times: since you started using immersive presentations, did you notice an acceleration in how fast projects get approved? Is that tangible for you?
Flaviane Boeing: Yes, because it accelerated things significantly. When a client looks at a traditional image or rendering, they start overthinking: "Is that volume big enough? Is it too small?" They have doubts looking at the flat image. In my presentations, I start with the floor plan.
I explain everything to the client so they can orient themselves, and after that, it's entirely in virtual reality. When I send the standard images to the client now, they don't even want to look at them. They say, "No, let's go straight to the immersion." And that way, as I mentioned, they are certain whether the space turned out large or small, just like we discussed. For specific environments—especially kitchens, whether it has an island or not—they can be absolutely sure it turned out the way they wanted.
Regiane Laveli: Now let's talk a little bit about Yulio. With so many tools available on the market, what motivated your choice to use Yulio as your immersive presentation platform today?
Flaviane Boeing: I need everything to run through the computer quickly, you know? And with Yulio, it was very fast. The time it takes for me to upload the project to the website, it’s already sent to the headset, and I can also edit it seamlessly. I don't need to open a separate presentation. If I want to remove an image or add an image, I can do it right there; it has that flexibility.
There was also the factor of it being entirely web-based, which was exactly what I was looking for. Another Yulio feature—which I used to use a separate program for—was sending 360-degree images to clients so they could virtually walk through the apartment on their own. I used to use another platform for that, but now I do everything exclusively on Yulio.
Regiane Laveli: For an architecture practice, how important do you feel it is that the day-to-day technology you use is intuitive and operationally simple? So that it doesn't consume too much of your time, since time is the most valuable asset for you and your team. How do you view this?
Flaviane Boeing: It goes back to what we were just saying. We lose that extra week preparing the presentation upfront, but the subsequent layout changes and revisions are significantly reduced. So we save a massive amount of time later on by presenting everything in virtual reality right from the start. Yes, it's very beneficial.
Regiane Laveli: Do you believe that virtual reality is shifting from being a competitive differentiator to becoming a market necessity, especially here in Brazil? What do you think?
Flaviane Boeing: I think so. I think whoever doesn't adapt to virtual reality will fall behind, because more and more, people want to have a sense of scale and know what the final result will look like without having to wait a year for construction.
So, I feel like anyone who can't leverage this tool will lag a little behind. Personally, I find virtual reality more important than producing a highly elaborate, hyper-realistic flat rendering. With a standard rendering, you can tweak the colors, the brightness, and modify things in Photoshop. Virtual reality gives you the true, actual space they are going to have. It doesn't come heavily photoshopped. It shows exactly what will be in their house. It's great.
Regiane Laveli: What advice would you give to those who are just looking to get started with VR?
Flaviane Boeing: Do your research. Show your client that this is an important asset. Because that way, they will see that there is a massive difference in signing a contract for a project that includes virtual reality.
People might hesitate and say, "Oh, Flaviane, but the initial investment cost is too high for me starting out, will it give me a return?" You can trust that it will return your investment. I am based in a small city, and it is absolutely paying off. It is my competitive edge here.
