Since 2018, Mechelen has partnered with Poppr to showcase its historic beauty through a virtual tour platform. While the original imagery remained accurate, the city sought to refresh the digital experience with updated branding and expanded access to new locations, ensuring their virtual presence matched the evolving city itself.

Building on our successful collaboration, we undertook a comprehensive platform rebranding while preserving the high-quality panoramic imagery that accurately captured Mechelen's essence. We expanded the tour with additional locations previously unavailable to the public, enhancing the virtual exploration experience while implementing our latest design principles.

The revitalized Virtual Mechelen platform maintains the core photography while delivering these key improvements:

• A sleek, contemporary interface aligned with current design standards and Mechelen's updated visual identity, creating a more engaging visual experience without the expense of completely new photography.
• The refreshed platform introduces several new locations to explore, including previously undocumented historic sites and newly developed urban spaces, providing a more comprehensive view of the city.
• Improved technical performance with smoother navigation controls, faster loading times, and a more intuitive user interface that makes exploration effortless across all devices.
• Updated content management system giving city officials greater control over future additions.

The refreshed Virtual Mechelen platform represents a cost-effective enhancement of an already successful digital asset. By preserving the high-quality original photography while updating the user experience and expanding available locations, we've extended the platform's relevance and utility as:

• A modernized tourism promotion tool with fresh appeal
• An expanded educational resource covering more of the city's landmarks
• A comprehensive digital archive of Mechelen's evolving urban landscape

This strategic refresh demonstrates how digital assets can evolve alongside a city's identity, providing continuity while embracing innovation and expansion.