Welcome to Numena

Spectra is a cross-platform, open-source community where physical placemakers and virtual worldbuilders come together to create sustainable, human-centered, and technologically progressive urbanization. Spectra’s toolkit and participatory process are designed to support projects from single villages to broader networks up to a city of 1M+ people. The goal of the growing community of placemakers, architects, engineers, urbanists, virtual creators, and activists is to build cities and villages which are sustainable, livable, and affordable.

Imagine a world where history comes to life, where ancient monuments tell their stories through advanced simulations, and where the past is preserved with the precision of the future. ARTEMIS is that world. With state-of-the-art digital twins and AR/VR technologies, this Horizon project commissioned by the European Union bridges the gap between heritage and innovation, ensuring that the treasures of yesterday inspire the generations of tomorrow.

It’s all about speed and magic. This project is about BMW’s fastest motorcycle like you’ve never seen it before. The S 1000 RR is a master work. In its third generation, the improved performance due to highly innovative changes like the BMW ShiftCam technology cannot be understated. We developed a virtual reality application to showcase these technological advances. For starters, the motorcycle materializes in the form of a rain of parts, 4000 of them, individually animated in realtime. Once the RR reaches its final shape, users travel through its motor, magnified 500 times and animated, following the path of an air particle.

Our partner research lab, the scAInce VR lab at the Institute of Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering at Technical University Darmstadt, uses VR as a research methodology to test urban scenarios and to assess the role of new technologies for future developments. More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, where environmental, economic, and social challenges are concentrated. The project analyzes past smart-city initiatives and conducts virtual simulations, with the aim of developing a model that helps cities choose technologies aligned with their sustainability goals.

We had the privilege of designing a mixed-use development on a breathtaking mountainside in Puerto Rico. The complex, composed of two crescent-shaped wings, spans a hilltop ridge. Its geometry is designed to maximize scenic views on one side while optimizing access from the road on the other. A passage carved through the hill connects the wings at the lowest level, while a spacious common area, centered around a pool, links them on the second level. Given the site’s challenging topography, our virtual reality design tools and a VR-centered workflow were essential in refining the layout, flow, and functionality of the final design.

This research project in cooperation with Hof University’s Institute for Information Systems will develop an AI-based knowledge system for the construction industry based on spatial awareness and contextual understanding. Given the increasing complexity and volume of data in construction projects, it is increasingly challenging to coordinate them. BauWissKI will test the implementation of a immersive virtual platform that helps various stakeholders extract and add relevant information inside a project-specific “knowledge marketplace”.