Overview / Usage

"Through the convergence of simulation and storytelling, designer Alex McDowell proposes a new approach to education and planning for an unpredictable future.

The Floating City digital proof of concept—the first installment in ASCE’s Future World Vision—highlights deeply considered systems, communities, ecologies, and economies, exploring the city from both a systems and human perspective.

Come along as McDowell guides us through a “deep dive” into the design process and end user experience of this virtual city of the future, witnessing its evolution as it develops over a 50-year horizon.

Floating City represents a bold step in the technology of narrative and media experience, finding answers by provoking a whole new set of questions and illuminating the future of civil engineering."

Methodology / Approach

"This multimedia installation is home to an immersive opportunity for allowing visitors to experience the Floating City firsthand. Participants navigate through time and space as the first of ASCE's five future cities comes alive, evolving over 50 years and presenting exciting engineering challenges in response to our shifting global context.

Attendees have the chance to explore Future World Vision's "Floating City" on either a Virtual Reality set, or a touchscreen monitor at the booth. The booth is open each day during scheduled ASCE Experience hours."

My job on the project was audio direction, sound design and music composition. I created immersive spatial audio, custom sound design and futuristic ambient design and music for this "Floating City" VR experience and touch-screen experience for ASCE's main flagship booth convention.

Technologies Used

Studio One, Unity, Binaural, Ambisonics, Intel Core i7, VR

Other links

• ASCE: Future World Vision Convention