IMAGINE Lab
The IMAGINE (Interactive Media Architecture Group in Education) Lab is comprised of a group of researchers and students with a mission of serving the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) community. Primarily, the IMAGINE lab provides exemplary applications of cutting edge, architectural visualization technologies, and prepares students in the use of these technologies.
IMAGINE realizes the benefits and potential of integrating research and education. The staff members of the IMAGINE Lab offer courses in architectural visualization and online environments. Student members are actively involved in applied, sponsored projects that are related to the lab's research interests.
History of the IMAGINE Lab
The lab began in the early 1990s in the College of Architecture (now the College of Design) at Georgia Tech as an informal collection of students and faculty. This group was interested in researching the development and integration of digital technology for visualization, and the impact this new technology might have on designers.
Other research included developing enabling technology for different types of digital information, from early digital video compression schemes to integrated multimedia presentation systems and virtual reality. Projects have been supported by IBM, Kodak, DENON, Apple Computers, NBC, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), Fulton County, the Midtown Alliance, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and many others.
In 2014, the IMAGINE Lab was integrated into CSPAV (then the Center for Geographic Information Systems), bringing with it three full-time researchers and more than 10 student assistants.
Over the years the IMAGINE Lab has produced numerous architectural visualizations for Georgia Tech and non-profit and local private organizations supporting economic development efforts on the city and state level.
Projects
The IMAGINE Lab has worked on a variety of topics exploring visualization and interaction with spatial data and the built environment. This work produces digital datasets, interactive visualizations, and tangible artifacts. Our more recent work can be found in current projects and over 20 years of projects can be found in the archives.
Services
The IMAGINE Lab offers a variety of services that can help with your project, research, course. The IMAGINE Lab creates and maintains 3D models of the Georgia Tech campus and the surrounding city of Atlanta. The models are available to the Georgia Tech community for academic and research purposes upon request. The lab can utilize these assets to produce physical representations through 3D printing. As a licensed Remote Pilot the lab utilizes aerial platforms to capture images from the skies. This data can be used to create new 3D models using photogrammetry or in combination with generated designs to visualize invisible infrastructure or future development. We also have extensive experience building a wide variety of interactive devices, structures, components, and products.