VIVA is a visual support agent for property imagery. Sourcing the right visuals is a common challenge in property design: images are often expensive (such as architectural renders), time-consuming to create manually (designing in PowerPoint), or legally risky (privacy concerns regarding people in the images). VIVA addresses these issues at once: the agent combines the project's ambitions, the building's location and the surrounding environment into a single image. Below is an example of the output.

Figure 1: an impression of a new office building next to a station

When asked about the business case for VIVA, ICS identifies four key factors: higher quality for the client, time savings, commercial impact and risk reduction.

First and foremost, VIVA elevates the visuals for the client, moving from abstract spatial planning to concrete, compelling imagery. This is particularly valuable in the early concept phase, when stakeholders need to see and feel what a future space could look like. Previously, this required manual work in PowerPoint or expensive external renders from an architectural firm. With VIVA, neither is necessary.

Figure 2: a sketch of a floor plan with seating layout

In addition to improved quality, VIVA delivers significant time savings. Drawing up property designs in PowerPoint is a time-consuming process, as consultants try to approximate the look of a building or room using PowerPoint shapes and iterate based on feedback. This work is now done in one go, saving considerable time.

VIVA also adds commercial value. ICS recently secured its first project with the support of VIVA. This demonstrates that stronger visuals enhance the way ICS presents ideas, setting the agency apart in competitive bids.

As a final dimension of the business case, VIVA reduces the risk of using inappropriate imagery. Consultants no longer need to search for images that are safe to use without privacy or copyright issues. An example of this is imagery of school buildings, which may feature children. With VIVA, any people shown are not real, greatly reducing the risk of using inappropriate material.