A VR Film That Lets Communities Experience a Wind Farm Before a Single Turbine Exists

✦ At a Glance, for the time pressed
What

A 360° VR film visualising a proposed wind farm in the Swiss Alps, combining real filmed landscape with digitally integrated wind turbines, produced for Axpo, Switzerland's largest producer of renewable energy.

For whom

Energy companies and public authorities who need to present infrastructure projects to local communities before construction, at information events or via mobile exhibition units.

The challenge

Showing something that does not exist yet, honestly and to scale, without resorting to a fully computer generated animation that could feel misleading.

The result

A film narrated from the wind's own perspective, now used at public events and inside Axpo's touring exhibition vehicle across Switzerland.

CAMPAIGNAxpo Wind Farm Flumserberg VR Film
BRANDAxpo Wind Team Switzerland
CLIENTAxpo
CATEGORY360° VR Film · Energy & Infrastructure
DIRECTORUrs Wyss
DOPChristian Mülhauser
DRONE PILOTChristian Mülhauser
VFX/3D ARTISTOleksandr Shcherbyna
SOUND DESIGNERAvocado360
WRITERUrs Wyss
PRODUCERAvocado360
DELIVERABLES360° VR Film for Meta Quest, used in Axpo's touring exhibition vehicle
LOCATIONFlumserberg, Switzerland
DATE2025
VIMEO ID1077988770

A wind farm that does not exist yet. How do you make something tangible when it is still only an idea? For the VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg, Avocado360 filmed the real Alpine landscape and added the proposed wind turbines digitally, honestly, to scale, without dressing anything up.

How the Project Came About

The contact did not come through a tender, but through a simple test video. A year earlier, Avocado360 had produced a short 360° video at a wind farm in the Swiss Jura mountains as an experiment, combining real landscape footage with digitally added wind turbines. That video became the basis for a conversation with Axpo, Switzerland's largest producer of renewable energy. It demonstrated that future construction projects could be visualised honestly and transparently, without relying on fully computer generated animation.

Axpo was convinced and asked whether Avocado360 would produce a real test project. The result was the VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg, a proposed wind farm site in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, overseen on the client side by Cédric Aubert, Head of Wind Portfolio Switzerland at Axpo.

The Idea: The Wind as Narrator

Rather than putting facts and diagrams first, the film is narrated from the perspective of the wind itself. A calm voiceover accompanies viewers across the wintery Alpine ridge, with no confrontation and no justification. The wind speaks about its own power and how it could be put to smarter use in future.

This narrative choice is deliberate. Instead of saying "you must support wind energy", the film asks a quieter question: the mountains are changing anyway, so why not thoughtfully? Motion graphics comparing winter wind power to solar energy and regional energy independence are woven subtly into the landscape, without ever feeling like a lecture.

VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg, planned turbine locations on the map, Swiss Alps

The proposed turbine locations at Flumserberg, in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, the basis for the digital integration in postproduction.

The Production

Filming took place across five locations, from the valley to the summit, structured dramatically like a journey: arrival in morning light, ascent by chairlift, arrival at the summit with a panoramic view, an encounter with local residents at a mountain village, and the descent into the valley at sunset.

Valley Station

360° camera on tripod, morning atmosphere, skiers, the first chairlifts starting up.

Chairlift Ascent

Camera mounted on the chairlift, wide panoramas, motion graphics on wind power.

Mountain Summit

Static shot with a panoramic pan, 3D wind turbines added in postproduction.

Mountain Restaurant

Local residents on camera, motion graphics on regional energy independence.

Descent to the Valley

Helmet or skier mounted camera, before and after comparison, sunset as the closing shot.

Audio

Binaural 3D audio for realistic wind and ambient sound inside the headset.

VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg, aerial view of the shooting location, Swiss Alps

A view across Flumserberg, with all 6 wind turbines digitally implemented in to the filmed 360° footage.

The Film

The finished VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg in full length, embedded directly here.

Direct link: vimeo.com/1077988770

Where the Film Is Shown

Once completed, the film was used at several public information events across Switzerland. It has since become a permanent feature of Axpo's touring exhibition vehicle, a mobile unit that travels the country to inform local communities about proposed wind energy projects. Visitors can step directly into the project with a VR headset, while Axpo's national wind team answers questions about wind energy in Switzerland.

Placeholder, a client quote or photograph from a touring exhibition event to follow once available.

The Insight

What the real world cannot show yet must be told honestly, not dressed up.

After more than a year of wind measurements, Axpo decided in February 2026 not to proceed with the Flumserberg wind farm, the site's wind potential was ultimately insufficient for economic operation. That decision does not diminish the value of the film. It shows how to make a proposal tangible without presuming its outcome, and in doing so builds exactly the kind of trust that makes an open, evidence based review credible in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you show a construction project that does not exist yet?

By combining real 360° footage of the site with digitally integrated 3D elements. For the VR Video Wind Farm Flumserberg, Avocado360 filmed the real landscape and added the proposed turbines to scale in postproduction.

What does a VR video for an infrastructure project cost?

Cost depends on shooting days, postproduction effort and the audio concept. Avocado360 provides a detailed, no obligation quote on request. Get in touch →

Where is the film shown?

At public information events and inside Axpo's touring exhibition vehicle, which travels across Switzerland.

When Does This Format Work?

Works well when
  • A construction project does not exist yet but needs to feel tangible
  • Transparency and public trust are the priority
  • A proposal needs to travel to multiple events or be shown on the move
  • Facts need to be communicated emotionally, not just informatively
Works less well when
  • A finished, built structure already exists and can simply be filmed
  • There is no budget for 3D integration in postproduction
  • Only a short, one off communication is required

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