Darker Sky VR

This VR project was initiated by the Altona District Office of Hamburg in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW). It is a specialized contribution to the broader Darker Sky initiative, partially funded to simulate and plan various lighting scenarios for public pathways.

Detailed VR reconstructions of the ‘Strandweg’ along the Elbe beach and the ‘Bullnwisch’ cycle path have been created. Users can simulate different lamp models (with their light distribution curves/IES profiles), adjust time of day and weather, and experience realistic lighting effects. The application is free of charge and openly available to universities, researchers, and city planners. It is already in use for testing different lighting scenarios and assessing their impact on psychological well-being, biodiversity, and overall safety. This allows planners and scientists to experiment with real-world conditions in a risk-free virtual environment.