Welcome to the age of adaptive environments

Living venues, where immersive tech converges to create dynamic entertainment environments, are on the rise everywhere, from your front room to 40,000-seat immersive concert venues. 

We don’t mean a Ring doorbell and an Alexa at home or a few LED screens and some dry ice at your local theater; we mean genuine multidimensional spaces that immerse visitors before they even get to the venue, and long after they leave. 

As Brandon Kaplan, Chief Innovation Officer at Journey, put it: “Buildings will adapt in real-time to meet visitors’ needs, tailoring experiences based on demographics, behavior, and external factors like time, season, or weather. Picture a venue that adjusts its lighting and way-finding to suit the flow and preferences of its guests. This level of personalization will enhance visitor engagement and satisfaction — and it’s becoming achievable today.” 

 “Integrating adaptive systems should be as natural as installing lighting or fire alarms.”

A range of emerging technologies, including XR, AI, wearables, gamification, hyper-personalization, and game engine integrations into physical space, are driving this trend. 

“Just one caveat” Kaplan said “Tech always needs to be an enabler of the experience versus tech for tech’s sake.”

Let’s follow a day in the life of someone just like you as they navigate the living venues that are coming to dominate our homes, workplaces, and third spaces… 

Rise and shine. Your house is already up

You wake up at 7:30 a.m. for work, windows transition from opaque to transparent, in sync with your circadian rhythms. Ambient speakers linked to your weather app play nature sounds — birdsong, gusts of wind, or the patter of rain — depending on the day’s forecast. 

HomeForest brings nature into your home for those moments when you can’t get out.

The bathroom mirror displays your schedule and transit updates. Simultaneously, your kitchen automatically brews some artisanal coffee. By the time you leave, your e-vehicle is already at a comfortable temperature and has queued up the perfect soundtrack for the commute ahead. 

A few years ago, a smart home like this was almost sci-fi. Today, all the tech is a reality, and these living, adaptive spaces are becoming ubiquitous.

Let’s catch up in the office …

Lessons from The Jetsons 

As you pull up to work, the building recognizes your car’s license plate and guides you straight to your spot, illuminated by sensor-activated lighting. Inside, your company app assigns you a workspace — a desk, meeting room, or quiet space, depending on your needs — and adjusts lighting, temperature, and ergonomics to your preferences.

The workplace of the future is taking shape, and it’s going to be interactive …

Meeting spaces are equally adaptive, with digital walls that instantaneously switch to match the agenda. Even coffee breaks are personalized, as the machine remembers your preference: flat white with oat milk, right?

By anticipating your needs, the ‘living workplace’ eliminates all the friction points you’d usually encounter throughout the day, allowing you to focus entirely on your work. This seems like an office from The Jetsons (minus a car that transforms into a briefcase, granted), but all of these features are already a reality at Edge Amsterdam, ‘The Smartest Building in the World,’ and Deloitte’s home base in the Netherlands.

Anyway, with the working day done, phew! You get ready to hang out with some friends nearby… 

Night out at the museum

The hang-out spot is a museum late event… It’s not where you’d traditionally go after work, but they open late on Fridays, and you’ve heard The British Museum has something innovative happening in some of their exhibit halls (and they have a bar).

On arrival, you’re directed to an immersive theater experience: an ancient Assyrian lion hunt brought back to roaring life, using soundscapes, projections, and programmed spotlighting.

“This is a glimpse of a new era for traditional museums that are shape-shifting into living, interactive venues.”

The Assyrian Reliefs at The British Museum. Exhibition design by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, immersive exhibits by Journey.

Moving on, you’re drawn into another exhibit where Romans read aloud the letters they penned to loved ones in the second century AD. Directional sound translates Latin into English, and the voices of the ancient world come to life. Are they in the room?

The Vindolanda Tablets at The British Museum. Exhibition design by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, immersive exhibits by Journey. 

These exhibits form a pilot project undertaken by The British Museum to experiment with immersive interpretation in traditional galleries. They are the first glimpse of a new era of traditional museums that are shape-shifting into living, interactive venues that open later, incorporate groundbreaking immersive design, and connect with a new generation of visitors.

I guess you guys aren’t ready for this yet. But your kids are gonna love it

That was fun, but the night is young. It’s time for some live music. 

You’re waiting in line outside a 40,000-seat venue with your friends. Yesterday, it hosted the NFL playoffs, but today, thanks to its modular design, the stadium has been reconfigured for a concert starring your favorite singer. The queue isn’t a bore, though, as there are various touch-points along the way for fans to interact with exclusive content from the star, snap a selfie, and obtain exclusive merch. 

Venues must now reflect our connected, multidimensional world.

Sting: My Songs, immersive design by 59, a Journey studio.

The show begins, and the venue comes to life. Projection mapping turns the stage into an evolving landscape based on the artist’s latest album art. The AR-enabled glasses they gave you at the entrance mean you never have to get your phone out; your POV of the concert is filmed automatically and sent to you afterwards. From time to time, the glasses interact with the stage, adding new layers of visual storytelling.

A synchronized LED wristband on every wrist means the crowd is another glowing part of this spectacular audio-visual experience. 

After the show, you’re invited to an after-party and listening experience at an immersive venue, where you can connect with other fans and learn about the story behind the music. 

VOGUE: Inventing the Runway at Lightroom London, experience design by 59, a Journey studio.

This kind of activation is becoming commonplace at the likes of Lightroom London, but the king of the living venue jungle might be the Las Vegas Sphere. This awe-inspiring venue adapts to every show with customizable soundscapes, lighting, LED screens, atmospheric effects, and thousands of haptic seats, creating an ever-evolving concert.

The Las Vegas Sphere interior experience by Journey [photo: Rich Fury/Sphere Entertainment]

That was one hell of a day, and you’re ready for bed. Good thing your smart home brewed some chamomile tea and turned on the electric duvet before you got in… 

These venues go to 11

The era of static venues is over. People are no longer surprised by immersive adaptability — they expect it. Whether at work, home, or a night out, venues must now reflect our connected, multidimensional world. 

As Ben Townsend, Project Director at Journey, puts it: “In 2025, location-based attractions will once again thrive. Attendance will be back to pre-COVID levels, and there will be a renewed focus on creating stronger visitor interest with more dynamic, personalized and immersive entertainment offerings.”

From homes to offices, entertainment venues to museums, the fundamental design question is no longer just “What will this space look like?” but “How will it evolve?”. Integrating adaptive systems should be as natural as installing lighting or fire alarms.

The most successful spaces will breathe, learn, and transform in real-time, making every moment more immersive, engaging, and, most of all, human.