Building Harmony: The journey behind Naviate Outdoor Area extension

Frequent users of Forma might already be familiar with one of the newest additions to our third-party extensions: “The Outdoor Area Extension by Naviate“. This extension provides one of the most requested features of all time – especially from our Norwegian users: It helps the user design high-quality outdoor areas in a project – and in some cases even help users comply with intricate regulation norms that previously took days to comply with. In this blog post we are so lucky to have Jan Tore Bugge (Head of Product for Naviate) share the ”why“ behind this extension – and how the idea came to life! All opinions are those of the contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Autodesk.

Creating harmonious living spaces in urban development can be a challenging task. Too often, projects fall short of achieving a balance between sunlight, noise control, and terrain suitability, leading to less-than-ideal living conditions. This lack of harmony can result in dissatisfaction and a decline in the quality of life for residents. Recognizing this problem, Naviate embarked on a collaborative journey to develop a solution. The Naviate Outdoor Area Extension is designed to tackle these challenges head-on, ensuring that outdoor living spaces are both sustainable and harmonious.

What is Naviate Outdoor Area?

The Naviate Outdoor Area extension is a powerful tool designed to enhance the quality of outdoor living spaces in urban development projects. It addresses several key factors that contribute to creating harmonious and sustainable environments. The extension is currently also solving a very concrete problem for Norwegian users – the outdoor area regulation norm – bridging the gap between core analysis in Forma to specific local regulation rules. The extension is valuable to all designers of outdoor living spaces, but if you have input on specific local norms Symetri would love to get input from you in their idea portal.

A close partnership with Autodesk

The story of the Naviate Outdoor Area extension began with a partnership agreement signed with Autodesk last August. From the start, this project was marked by close cooperation, flexible development, and a strong focus on meeting customer needs. As most projects – the process was not linear, but more like a roller-coaster ride! Having a strong connection with the Forma team, also based in Oslo, played a crucial role to us. This seamless integration is a testament to the harmonious collaboration between our teams, highlighting the importance of working together to solve complex problems in urban development. The flexible approach allowed for rapid development and constant improvement. We even had the chance to impact the API development, which was a first for the Forma platform. This close partnership enabled quick fixes and enhancements, keeping the project on track despite the challenges.

An even closer partnership with our customers

An important part of this journey was involving customers early on. By reaching out to 10-15 customers during the beta phase, Naviate made sure the extension matched real-world needs. This process of gathering feedback and making changes was crucial in shaping a product that truly works for users.

The result: A harmonious solution

Harmony in architectural design goes beyond aesthetics; it’s about creating environments where all elements work together seamlessly. The Naviate Outdoor Area Extension achieves this by integrating critical analyses into the design process, ensuring that every aspect of the outdoor space is considered and optimized. This leads to developments that are not only visually pleasing but also highly functional and sustainable.

By providing robust sunlight analysis, it guarantees that areas receive the right amount of natural light, creating pleasant and healthy environments. The noise analysis feature helps reduce sound pollution, making outdoor areas more peaceful and suitable for relaxation or social activities. Terrain analysis ensures that the natural landscape is used optimally, preventing issues such as erosion and enhancing the stability of the development.

Together, these features help create outdoor spaces that are not only compliant with local regulations but also enhance the overall quality of life for residents.

Example of project that is complying with Norwegian sun requirements after iteration in Naviate Outdoor area extension.

Key features and functionalities

Sunlight analysis: One of the most important aspects of a comfortable living environment is access to natural light. The Naviate Outdoor Area Extension allows urban planners to analyze sunlight exposure in residential areas. By adjusting for the specific geographical location, the tool ensures that outdoor spaces receive optimal sunlight, enhancing the overall quality of life for residents. This feature is particularly useful in northern regions where maximizing sunlight is crucial, as well as in southern regions where controlling exposure to avoid overheating is essential.
Noise analysis: Noise pollution is a significant issue in urban environments, affecting the well-being of residents. The extension includes a noise analysis feature that helps planners evaluate and reduce noise levels. By identifying sources of noise and assessing their impact, the tool aids in designing quieter, more peaceful living spaces. This ensures that residents can enjoy their outdoor areas without being disturbed by excessive noise.
Terrain analysis: Understanding the natural landscape is critical for planning sustainable urban spaces. The terrain analysis feature allows users to assess and plan for the topography of a site. This includes evaluating slopes, elevations, and other geographical features to ensure compliance with local regulations and optimize land use. Proper terrain analysis helps prevent issues such as erosion and water runoff, contributing to a more stable and sustainable development.

Additional benefits

Regulatory compliance: The extension is designed to help users comply with local regulations in Norway regarding outdoor space requirements. By providing tools to analyze sunlight, noise, and terrain, it ensures that developments meet the necessary standards and guidelines.
User-friendly interface: The Naviate Outdoor Area extension is built to integrate seamlessly with the Autodesk Forma platform, offering a consistent and intuitive user experience. This makes it easy for urban planners and developers to adopt and utilize the tool effectively.
Scalability and flexibility: The extension is adaptable for different geographical locations and regulatory frameworks, making it a versatile solution for users around the world. Whether you are working on a small residential project or a large urban development, the tool can be customized to meet your specific needs

Try Naviate Outdoor Area today!

Now that the Naviate Outdoor Area Extension is live, we invite you to try it out. The extension is available for free for one year, making it easy for everyone to use. Simply add it to your project and start designing better outdoor living spaces.

Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know how the extension is performing and share your suggestions for improvement. By working together, we can continue to make this tool even better and help create harmonious and sustainable urban environments.

Jan Tore Bugge is Head of Product for Symetri’s own tech – Naviate. Jan Tore has been with Symetri for over 20 years, and is now responsible for product development, strategy and management for the Naviate portfolio, Symetri was founded in Sweden in 1989 and has grown to a team of over 1000 people with offices throughout Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the UK, Ireland and the US. Symetri is an Autodesk Platinum Partner, Autodesk Authorised Training Centre (ATC) and Autodesk Global Service Provider.