Seeing is believing! “SYNCVR,” a virtual earthquake simulation system that intuitively conveys seismic performance

SYNCVR is a system that uses VR to provide a realistic simulation of how a building shakes during an earthquake, enabling users to gain a tangible understanding of a building’s seismic performance.

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overview
SYNCVR is a system that uses virtual reality (hereinafter “VR”) to provide a realistic simulation of how a building sways during an earthquake, enabling users to communicate about a building’s seismic performance with a tangible sense of its characteristics.
This system makes it easy to generate VR footage tailored to the site’s ground conditions, building height, floor plan, structure, and number of stories.For example, users can freely create simulations to see how a room on the 10th floor of a 10-story reinforced concrete building would shake during a magnitude 7 earthquake, what the extent of damage would be, and how the building would shake differently based on structural characteristics—such as seismic resistance, vibration control, or seismic isolation—even if the building is the same height. An immersive experience using VR headsets is also possible.
Previously, VR videos required manual creation of CG animations, which was time-consuming and costly, and limited users to pre-made, model-based disaster simulations. However, since SYNCVR uses actual data to generate visuals, it enables users to experience the unique spatial characteristics of specific buildings.

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By selecting different structural designs, you can compare the extent of indoor damage between “buildings with enhanced performance” and “standard buildings.” Earthquake damage depicted in the VR environment may differ from reality.

360° VR of an Office on the 7th Floor of a Typical Building

Input Earthquake Motion: Simulated South Kanto Earthquake (Construction Site: Roppongi) (Click the VR button in the lower right corner to enter full-screen mode. To exit full-screen mode, press the Esc key on your PC. If viewing on a smartphone, you may need to wait a moment for playback to begin, depending on your network connection.)

360° VR Tour of the 7th-Floor Office in a Building with Enhanced Performance

Key Features

As long as we have the seismic waveform data for the floor where you want to experience the earthquake, we can provide a simulated earthquake experience.
By using seismic waveform data from buildings currently in the planning stages or existing buildings, it is possible to create damage simulations for individual buildings.
Since new damage simulation footage can be generated instantly simply by changing the seismic waveform data, the additional cost of content can be significantly reduced even when comparing multiple scenarios.
We have CG models of general-purpose office buildings and apartment buildings available.

Development Background

We believed that when business owners are selecting a structural system, it would be helpful to provide not only theoretical explanations of each system but also to share an intuitive, hands-on experience.
Furthermore, there was a demand for experiential content that would allow for a comparative analysis of the specific damage patterns of a building based on its structural system.
In response to these needs, SYNCVR was developed jointly by Nikken Sekkei and Geo Creates Co., Ltd. as a system to assist building owners in their decision-making.

To provide a more realistic earthquake experience

By combining SYNCVR with other systems, you can create a more realistic VR experience.

① Combine with an earthquake-proof cushion

By combining the "Earthquake Zabuton"—a chair-shaped earthquake simulation device that vibrates in sync with SYNCVR—with the system, you can enjoy a more realistic VR experience that includes physical sensations.

It offers a highly immersive virtual earthquake experience with unprecedented ease.

For information on the “SYNCVR + Earthquake Zabuton” service, please visit the Hakusan Kogyo website.

Hakusan Industries Website

② Combine it with emotion sensing.

By attaching emotional sensors—such as sweat monitors—to the user’s palm, it is possible to quantify emotional fluctuations that previously could only be perceived intuitively. This method is also effective for quantitatively tracking the temporal changes in anxiety that occur during an experience—changes that cannot be captured through surveys alone.

Future developments

At Nikken Sekkei, we envision using SYNCVR in the following ways as a communication tool for making decisions regarding building safety and security.

■ Setting seismic safety targets and determining structural systems during building planning (designer ⇔ client)
■ Promoting seismic performance when purchasing a home (homebuilder ⇔ buyer)
■ Promoting seismic performance in office leasing (building owner ⇔ tenant)
■ Promoting the performance of seismic isolation and damping devices (manufacturers ⇔ building owners)
■ Social contributions such as disaster prevention education and sharing lessons learned from past earthquakes (local governments, insurance companies ⇔ the general public)

*SYNCVR is a registered trademark of Nikken Sekkei Ltd. and Geo Creates Co., Ltd.

Takashi Fukushima

Structural Engineering Group, Engineering Department
Director

After graduating from Nihon University’s graduate school in 2005, he joined Nikken Sekkei and began working in structural design. Haneda Chronogate He has been in charge of numerous projects, including , Shibuya Hikarie, Kyobashi Edogrand, and Halekulani Okinawa. In addition to his design work, he has recently been working to develop new services initiated by the Structural Group to put into practice Nikken Sekkei’s vision of a “Professional Service Firm.” He has received awards such as the JSCA Newcomer Award and the CTBUH Innovation Award. He is a First-Class Structural Architect.