THINKlab’s commercial team, working primarily with Professor Garry Crawford in Sociology at University of Salford, have produced an innovative virtual environment of Pendleton, which allows users to explore this historic and important area’s past, present and future.

An interactive visualisation was produced allowing users to explore Pendleton Park and its surroundings in real time. The visualisation allows users to switch between the present day and planned future park design (provided by Virtual Planit), and with a flick of a button, be transported back to one of Pendleton’s areas of historical interest, the old cattle market, complete with cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. The model can be deployed on various platforms and is able to make use of Oculus Rift HMD technology allowing users to be immersed within the virtual world. The model is multi-purpose allowing for it to be used for urban planning, education, heritage and numerous other areas of user-engagement.

Paul Longshaw, Programme Director at Salford City Council highlights that

“This Pendleton Time machine enhances our existing community engagement methods and has the potential to really push the sectors regeneration approach into new creative settings. Existing ideas and future plans for the area now have the potential to be flexed and it gives the ability to reach out to people in new digital ways”  

For more information visit http://www.salford.gov.uk/creatinganewpendleton.htm

Virtual Pendleton

Past – Virtual recreation of Pendleton’s Cattle Market

Present – Virtual Pendleton present day

Future – Pendleton Park proposed new design