BBC Green Planet AR Experience

The BBC Green Planet AR Experience, will offer guests a window into the secret kingdom of plants through an immersive augmented reality journey accompanied by a virtual Sir David Attenborough transformed into a 3D hologram.

The space, previously a Virgin Megastore and before that Tower Records, is a Grade I listed building but was a disused concrete shell. In just three months, a team of builders and set designers completed a construction project to build a ‘white box’ space including new toilets, walls and fire safety systems, before bringing in set builders, a real-life rainforest and Imaginators team to create a meditative green wonderland off London’s famous Regent Street.

Visitors to the experience, inspired by the BBC Natural History Unit landmark series, The Green Planet, will travel through six digitally enhanced worlds – including rainforests, freshwater and saltwater worlds, the changing seasons and desert landscapes, culminating in the human story and how we can all affect positive change.

Guests will enter the experience from Regent Street through a living rainforest complete with hundreds of tropical trees, plants and shrubs. Before entering the first of the digitally enhanced biomes, guests will be given a smartphone device which will become their dynamic window into the world of plants. With the magic of augmented reality and 5G technology, visitors will discover the world of plants on their timescale and from their perspective. Through this technology, the experience engages audiences with plant life in an immersive and intimate way, allowing visitors to witness the extraordinary nature of plants and in doing so, learning why they are so vital for the future of our planet.

Imaginators, selected as the preferred supplier for our progressive environmental credentials were tasked with providing a diverse range of printed branded solutions all of which needed to be environmentally friendly and have no PVC content. In addition to Project Management, all branded items, both interior and exterior were installed by Imaginators in-house team and included window graphics and complex window manifestations, floor graphics, printed timber signage and set walls.

All materials used in the construction of this experience will be reused or recycled after the event to promote circularity. From graphics made using non-PVC materials, bamboo props, FSC approved pine wood, recycled steel, to paper rope, sustainable principles were considered at every level of construction and operation.

As part of Imaginators LOOP Recycling Programme and our environmental policy of acheiving ‘100% Landfill Diversion’, innovative new technologies and materials such as our ‘EcoFabric’ produced entirely from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles were used. After the event, graphics will be sent to a waste-to-energy plant where it will be transformed into renewable energy for the National Grid.

This ground-breaking sustainable experience blends physical and digital worlds together creating an extraordinary encounter that provides knowledge, entertainment and in turn builds empathy with the natural world. Through setting ambitious sustainability targets, robust planning, and transparent reporting, The BBC Green Planet AR Experience has been brought to the public while treading lightly on our planet.

Perhaps the pinnacle of environmental projects not only for the prestigious involvement with Sir David Attenborough and the BBC but also because of its demanding environmental and sustainability requirements which proved to be a wonderful opportunity for Imaginators to illustrate the diverse range of environmentally friendly solutions available. Imaginators were delighted to have been the preferred supplier of environmentally friendly graphics for this incredibly important project.