Government
St Augustine Climate Change Sim
Client
USACE
Project Owner
City of St. Augustine
Location
St Augustine, Florida
Project Value
$3,000,000
Industry
Government
Account Executive(s)
Joshua Harden, Tom Thomas
Services Provided
Renderings & Animations |
Government
St Augustine Climate Change Sim
Client
USACE
Project Owner
City of St. Augustine
Location
St Augustine, Florida
Project Value
$3,000,000
Industry
Government
Account Executive(s)
Joshua Harden, Tom Thomas
Services Provided
Renderings & Animations |
Project Overview
The City of St. Augustine commissioned a first-of-its-kind interactive simulation to help residents, planners, and civic leaders visualize the effects of sea-level rise and coastal storm surges on the city's historic waterfront districts. The project combined virtual reality environments with precision 3D modeling to place stakeholders inside a scientifically grounded portrait of their community's future. The scope demanded both technical accuracy and visual impact, translating complex climate data into imagery that could resonate with a non-technical public audience. PRESWERX contributed high-fidelity renderings and animations that brought the simulation's key scenarios to life.
Client Challenges
Communicating the long-term consequences of climate change to a broad civic audience required more than data: it demanded imagery that was both scientifically credible and viscerally compelling. The client faced several intersecting challenges:
Translating complex hydrological and atmospheric data into visuals accessible to non-technical stakeholders
Accurately depicting flood inundation and storm surge impacts on specific historic landmarks and streetscapes
Producing animation and rendering assets that could integrate cleanly into an interactive VR platform
Maintaining visual quality standards appropriate for public-facing civic engagement and media distribution
Meeting these demands required a visualization partner capable of working at the intersection of scientific accuracy and cinematic quality.
Scope of Work
PRESWERX developed a suite of architectural renderings and motion animations depicting multiple climate scenarios across St. Augustine's historic coastal zones. The renderings captured specific streetscapes and landmark structures under varying sea-level rise projections, giving the simulation concrete visual reference points grounded in the city's actual built environment. Complementing these still images, the animations illustrated the dynamic progression of storm surge inundation, showing how rising water would move through streets and around historic buildings over time. Each asset was produced to integrate directly into the VR environment developed by the project's academic research team, ensuring visual consistency across the full simulation experience.
PRESWERX Approach
PRESWERX approached this project as a bridge between scientific modeling and public storytelling. The goal was not to produce generic flood imagery, but to render St. Augustine's own streets, structures, and character under the weight of a credible future scenario.
Worked directly from climate data and hydrological projections to calibrate water levels and inundation extents accurately within each rendered scene
Built detailed 3D representations of key historic district locations to ensure the renderings reflected the authentic character and scale of the city's built fabric
Coordinated with the research team to align asset formats, frame rates, and visual language with the requirements of the interactive VR platform
The result was a cohesive library of visual assets that gave the simulation both its scientific grounding and its emotional resonance.
Results Delivered
PRESWERX delivered a complete set of renderings and animations that met the dual standard of scientific fidelity and civic communication quality. Each asset was produced for direct integration into the final VR simulation.
High-resolution renderings depicted specific historic landmarks and streetscapes under multiple sea-level rise scenarios, giving residents and officials recognizable visual reference for an otherwise abstract threat
Dynamic flood animations illustrated storm surge progression in real time, creating a sense of urgency and scale that static data alone could not convey
All visual assets integrated seamlessly with the VR platform architecture, enabling a unified and immersive simulation experience for public engagement events and policy discussions
The client entered public rollout with a simulation grounded in both credible science and compelling visual storytelling, prepared to communicate climate risk to audiences ranging from individual residents to elected officials.
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