The Roman Villa AR App

The challenge

The challenge was to transform archaeological evidence into an engaging educational experience while remaining faithful to the available research. Using verified data from the unearthed Norfolk villa, alongside research from archaeologists and regional museums, the app needed to present Roman daily life in an accessible and immersive way. The experience also had to appeal to a broad audience through inclusive design, while supporting educational storytelling with historically grounded content.

The process

We designed and built an augmented reality experience centred around a crafted 3D reconstruction of the Roman villa. Users can explore the space across three moments in the day – morning, noon and night – with changing visuals and ambient audio helping to bring each scene to life.

Interactive hotspots explore themes including clothing, education, food, sanitation, religion and health through text, imagery and audio. A stylised Roman family guides the narrative, while the UX and UI were designed to be accessible for a broad age range.

The outcome

The result is an immersive, educational tool that blends technology, heritage and storytelling. Users can explore authentic artefacts, follow a Roman family through daily life and discover stories embedded within the villa's architecture.

The app brings Roman Norfolk to life through interactive learning and has also become a valuable engagement tool, with RWE actively using the experience to showcase the project at events.

Interested to discover how immersive experiences can bring history, heritage and education together? Get in touch.

Case study completed during our time as MD, TD, OD and CD of Infinite Form / We Are Immersive Ltd.