7 hours ago
Reimagining the Built Environment
At Here East, we believe in the power of convening in the spaces where the Venn diagram overlaps – where big ideas break out of the ordinary and where unlikely combinations unlock innovation and creation at scale. This is where the magic really happens.
The ‘Creative Experience Futures Lab’ – hosted earlier this year in Plexal – demonstrates exactly how this cross-pollination culture comes to life.
Launched in November 2024, the Creative Experience Futures Lab is a collaboration between UCL, Loughborough London, HereEast, V&A and other partners at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The idea was to deliver a series of themed ‘sandpit’ events focused on innovation in performance, art and heritage, and architecture and the built environment.
Aiming to spark ideas for pilot projects that have the potential to be funded for further development by UCL, each lab acts as a springboard for deeper collaboration between researchers, creative organisations and local innovators to create a long-term, recognised base for the creative industries in East London.
Earlier this year, in April, we joined forces with UCL and Loughborough University London to host the third ‘sandpit event’ in the series on our campus in Plexal. This brought together researchers and industry experts in technology, creativity, culture and architecture to explore how immersive and interactive technologies could reimagine the built environment and transform how people experience physical spaces.
Together, they co-developed solutions to three key challenges set out by Here East CEO, Gavin Poole:
- How can we enable people to experience Here East virtually?
- How can advanced technologies support the development of the campus?
- How can we help current and future users directly explore the services and spaces offered at Here East?
Four proposals were submitted in response, each drawing on expertise from researchers, creative technologists and industry leaders working at the intersection of architecture, design and technology. Following a review by an expert panel in April, two standout proposals were selected to receive £10,000 each from UCL to support further development.
Fast forward to today, and these two pioneering concepts have now been turned into prototypes:
- Here East Expanded: A collaboration between Untold Garden, Meadow, Aquifer Film, UCL, Loughborough University London, UAL, and UEL, ‘Here East Expanded’ is a platform that bridges the digital and physical world. Enabling people to connect with Here East and immerse themselves in the campus completely remotely, the platform helps people to better understand Here East’s spaces, services, culture and community without ever needing to be physically present. How? Users are invited to explore and experience the campus virtually – navigating a custom-built, hybrid platform that features 3D augmented reality elements alongside interactive ‘word bubbles’ that share ideas and promote conversation.
- Bus Quest: A collaboration between Mediorite, UCL, and Staffordshire University London – including four of Staffordshire’s talented students – ‘Bus Quest’ is a fun, cartoon-style video game that takes players on a virtual tour of Here East, showcasing the diverse community of people and organisations that are based on campus. With the prototype created using Unreal Engine, the game sees users play as a bus driver of the famous Here East buses: driving around, collecting passengers and learning more about Here East’s culture and community. The team recently launched a trailer (see below) and plans to have the game ready to play at Here East soon.
Here East is where business meets culture; where entrepreneurs meet creatives; and where innovation, collaboration, and creativity meet scale. Our campus was designed as a place where people have the freedom to experiment and dream bigger – and we’re thrilled to see these two pioneering teams harness this as they move into an exciting new chapter.
We wish them luck and will be following their journeys closely!
