Laurel Creek
3D visualization services improved execution on Laurel Creek’s site development, reducing project costs and timing.
Using innovative 3D terrain modeling, the RVi team overcame grading issues, enhanced interdisciplinary design coordination, and produced engaging 3D visualizations to establish Laurel Creek as a benchmark of affordable housing developments in Austin, Texas.
GOALS
Spanning five acres in Austin’s North Lamar community, Laurel Creek offers 88 new affordable housing units for low-income residents. Facing significant grading and topographical challenges, the site needed accurate, interactive 3D visualizations to coordinate architecture, engineering, and landscape design and better understand the final product. RVi’s innovative approach to 3D terrain modeling helped the developer, Foundation Communities, identify creative solutions to reduce cost, engage stakeholders, and secure federal funding.
OUTCOMES
Laurel Creek now stands as a dynamic affordable housing development, shaped by cutting-edge applications of design technology. With the design plans overlaid onto the site’s terrain, RVi’s 3D terrain model was instrumental in setting a foundation for the project and preparing the team for the next phases of work.
The site’s accurate representation identified topographical issues that could then be viewed from multiple angles to uncover potential problem areas and develop solutions before groundwork began. Rather than filling the uneven terrain, our team identified an opportunity to lower one of the building’s finish floors by two feet, dramatically reducing fill costs to the developer and accelerating the timeline of delivery. With the ability to visualize different project components, the multidisciplined team gained efficiency during design to optimize the collaborative process. The model was also used to evaluate load-bearing systems, analyzing the foundation requirements for the building’s multiple overhangs and saving time in the field.
Beyond the technical design advantages, the final high-quality, polished 3D renderings created by the RVi team gave Foundation Communities a valuable tool for engagement and federal funding. The successful federal funding presentation package incorporated renderings to paint a clear, striking vision of the proposed development. The model brought complex ideas to life, improved planning accuracy, and reduced on-site challenges to create a much-needed asset for the North Lamar community’s affordable housing landscape.
