Earlier this month, Dassault Systèmes revealed “Urban Renaissance,” the next chapter in its “The Only Progress is Human” initiative. This multiyear project sees the company attempting to shed light on 10 major challenges facing humanity today while also proposing solutions that can help us overcome them.
In this particular case, the company employed 3D video mapping projection technologies designed by Korean artist Yiyun Kang to showcase its vision of the “city of tomorrow” onto the towering walls of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) located in downtown Seoul.
“‘Geofuture’ is my large-scale public projection work that maps the DDP in Seoul. Inspired by Dassault Systèmes’ vision of designing our city, this project imagines our future life that will be realized by sustainable innovation,” said Kang.
Currently working as a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Kang has participated in numerous art and design projects, including international events such as the Venice Biennale of Architecture, and has been featured as a speaker at SIGGRAPH and Nexus Pavilion.
“The city of tomorrow needs to be resilient to be sustainable. We need new solutions that enable citizens to benefit from a virtual twin of their city to test solutions in the virtual world before implementing them in the real world,” said Victoire de Margerie, vice president, Corporate Equity, Marketing & Communications, Dassault Systèmes. “Urban Renaissance will explore how sustainable cities can thrive as urbanization increases. For this, we chose the vibrant city of Seoul and to collaborate with Yiyun Kang, an exciting, renowned local artist who reflects our vision of urban renaissance—a vision for the sustainable and healthy city of tomorrow.”
The aim of the Urban Renaissance project is to explore sustainable ways of implementing large-scale urban initiatives. With a focus on renewable materials and sustainable architecture, it also attempts to provide more inclusive services to the citizens who will actually inhabit these areas. This includes exploring new public transport solutions as well as innovative new ways to incorporate agriculture and green energy into the city space itself.
To do this, Dassault Systèmes has created what it calls a “virtual twin experience,” where an entire city is modeled and simulated with high degrees of accuracy in the virtual world. Through this, the company aims to help improve not only the way we design urban landscapes but also the quality of life of the citizens who inhabit them.
For this particular demonstration, Dassault has elected to utilize Seoul’s DDP, a major landmark in the South Korean capital created with the help of CATIA, one of the company’s premier design solutions. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the plaza employs what it calls “neofuturistic design,” which is characterized by sweeping forms and artistic curves.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in witnessing firsthand, you’re in luck! The reveal of Urban Renaissance will be broadcast live on January 31, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on various platforms, including YouTube, LinkedIn and the Dassault Systèmes’ website. During the reveal, viewers will be able to marvel at Kang’s urban artwork projected onto the plaza while architectural experts from Zaha Hadid and Dassault Systèmes showcase their ideas for the city of tomorrow. Follow this link to watch the reveal live.