Canons Wharf- Using interactive content to excite and engage in architectural marketing

From Passive Viewing to Active Exploration

One of the biggest challenges in our field is bridging the gap between a designer’s intention and a stakeholder’s understanding. A still image hints at atmosphere, an animation guides the eye, but interaction makes the viewer a participant.

The first time you watch someone use an interactive model, you realise how natural it is. They look around instinctively. They gravitate toward the corners they care about. They pause where something interests them. And in those small, unprompted moments, the design becomes theirs.

Canons Wharf

At Canons Wharf we were asked not just to visualise the redevelopment, but to help build a website around an immersive world encapsulating Bristol Harbourside with Canons Wharf at the centre. The result was a bespoke interactive platform built in ThreeJS that allowed people explore the site and wider surroundings, putting places on the map through interactive hotspots, inviting the public to use the platform to discover discounts at neighbouring restaurants. We added animated ships, balloons and trains, little Easter eggs for people to discover. We will continue to develop and evolve the platform as the physical project also grows.

The nuts and bolts

We built a simplified 3D model of the Harbourside and Canons Wharf including the new developments at the site, based on the architects’ plans. Initially the look came from the existing architectural model created by Arup back in the 80s when the building was first designed. We created wooden materials for the model and lit it as though it was an architectural model on a table. As the branding developed for the project, we aligned it more with this, using the Canons’ colours. 

We generated all of the custom assets, such as the Matthew ship, ferris wheels, trees, cranes etc. and then lit the scene in 3DS Max and Corona, baking lightmaps and exporting ready for import into the website. We worked with Styles Studio to bring the project to life using ThreeJS.

Helping People Feel the Vision

Something interesting happens when someone interacts with a project rather than simply viewing it: their emotional investment increases.You can see it in investor presentations when they lean closer to the screen. You can hear it in conversations that shift from “I’m trying to imagine…” to “What if we moved this?” or “Look how that opens up.”

That sense of excitement is invaluable. It gets people on board early. It strengthens confidence in a scheme and it encourages conversations that move a project forward.

Interactive content isn’t just beautiful; it’s persuasive.

A Quiet Evolution With Big Potential

Looking back at the work we’ve done – especially the interactive platform at Canons Wharf – it doesn’t feel like a technological leap so much as a natural progression. It’s simply another way to help people experience architecture more intuitively.

For developers, it builds momentum.\ For architects, it communicates intent.\ For stakeholders, it makes decisions easier.\ For us, it feels like an extension of everything we’ve always been trying to do.

If you’d like to see how interactive content could support your next project – whether through a browser-based 360 walkthrough , a VR experience or a bespoke platform – we’re always happy to talk. The tools are here. The potential is huge. And often, all it takes is giving people the chance not just to see a space, but to step inside it.

Take a look at our case study here www.wigwamvisual.com/projects/canons-wharf-1

Or experience it for yourself at www.canonswharf.com