Tunnel interiors can be unforgiving to the travel-weary drivers that pass through them. Monotony caused by dimly-lit tunnels with uninspiring aesthetics can be potentially fatal. This can also be the case in reverse where an interior is too brightly lit or has too many distracting features.

The ambience within a tunnel cannot be effectively conveyed through conventional two-dimensional technical drawings or artists’ impressions. Still images often fail to communicate the effect that poorly implemented aesthetics will have on the mindset of drivers passing through the tunnel. They cannot demonstrate the time factor or visual repetition endured by drivers.

A drive-through simulation enables both aesthetic and ambient features to be reviewed from any pre-specified angle or position. It is a valuable tool for design review allowing schemes to be tested and altered prior to their implementation. Suppliers may also benefit from the marketing ability of video simulations and the derived still images which can embellish presentations and aid bids for future contracts.

Ceramicoat Ltd, manufacturers and installers of protective coatings for tunnels and other infrastructure, appointed Halcrow to provide a drive-through simulation through the Dublin Port Tunnel, in order to provide realistic graphical representations of alternative tunnel coatings to the project team. Halcrow produced a tunnel drive-through video that included surface material properties, the effects of surface lighting luminosity and the driver field of vision.