Matterport, Inc., announced the University of Manchester implemented Matterport’s Digital Twin Platform for the renowned Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama (MHC) to revolutionize the way students interact with the center, enhancing their understanding of the facilities on offer and improving their overall experience.
Matterport’s Digital Twin Platform, which includes solutions for Facilities Management, Property Marketing and Design and Construction Management, provided the students with a rich and immersive virtual environment, allowing them to explore and familiarize themselves with the MHC's buildings and facilities.
Using Matterport’s Pro3 camera to capture the three buildings in the MHC, and Matterport’s Facilities Management solution, which offers organizations tools for training and onboarding, the university’s Department of Music developed a virtual induction module for students to complete before they can access the rehearsal rooms
The project’s goal was to introduce students to the MHC before they had a chance to physically visit it, providing insights about the instruments available to students, who the rehearsal suites are available to, and the types of facilities and cohorts at the MHC, as well as a welcome video and snippets of different performances that have taken place at the college. To ensure students understood the information before using the space themselves, the Department of Music also produced a short quiz embedded within the learning module to help students retain the information. Successful completion of the quiz is necessary in order to gain access to the practice facilities.
The university found that for students, the digital twin helped them familiarize with the space and ease apprehension. By engaging with the quiz, students gained valuable insights into their rehearsal spaces, who will care after the department’s instruments, and more. This was also beneficial for people with specific mobility requirements, as they can plan routes around the building ahead of time and locate where there are ramps, push pads, and elevators, for example.
"This scan and quiz has been invaluable," said Alexander Gagatsis, Director of Performance at the Department of Music, University of Manchester. "A lot of knowledge was lost during the pandemic, but now, we can slowly reintroduce students to good practice, such as how to safely store instruments, or who to contact asking for equipment. Importantly, because it takes only a few minutes to fill-out, the quiz is something that everyone can easily complete. The scan has also been invaluable as a means of showing our building to prospective applicants who are unable to attend any of our visit days."
“It’s been incredible to hear the positive feedback from both faculty and students about the convenience and accessibility Matterport has provided to the Martin Harris Centre,” said Natalie Lamb, Managing Director, International, Matterport. “This use case is a wonderful expression of how our digital twin technology can go beyond the traditional uses for Matterport, acting as not only a guide, but a learning tool that students can use at any time, as much as they may need.”
With the success of this project, the Faculty of Humanities eLearning team has created a Matterport Interest Group dedicated to exploring further opportunities for digital twin integration and enhancing student learning across various disciplines.
