Perfect orientation for patients on 20,000 square meters
-40%
Marketing
+50%
Requests
100%
Achieved price
The Challenge
The Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe faced a massive organizational and logistical challenge on a total area of over 20,000 square meters. The historic structure of the hospital complex, which had evolved over decades, regularly caused significant orientation difficulties for patients, visitors, and new staff. Interconnected ward corridors, multiple linked building sections, and confusing signage led to stress and delays before medical appointments. The expectations of modern patients and their relatives have drastically changed in the course of digitalization. They demand barrier-free, transparent, and intuitive navigation options even before actually arriving at the hospital. Analog signposts and confusing, two-dimensional site maps on the clinic's website were not sufficient to make the spatial complexity understandable. The constant search for the correct departments also tied up valuable time resources of the nursing and service staff, who regularly had to step in as guides instead of focusing on the core tasks of patient care.
Our Solution
FotoEstate implemented a forward-looking, digital solution by creating a seamless, interactive Matterport 3D tour including integrated indoor navigation for the entire Karlsruhe hospital complex. Our expert team scanned all publicly accessible areas, corridors, treatment centers, and admission areas with highly precise Matterport Pro3 cameras. In addition to photorealistic 360-degree views, this technology simultaneously captured an exact geometric point cloud of the building. Based on this digital twin, we developed an accessible guidance system. Strategic information points (Mattertags) were integrated into the tour, providing important additional information about the respective departments, consultation hours, and preparation instructions. By linking the model with a modern navigation plugin, users can now use centimeter-accurate real-time navigation from room to room via their smartphone using a QR code or via the website. The system also automatically calculates accessible routes, taking into account elevators and ramps for people with mobility impairments.
The Result
The introduction of digital Matterport indoor navigation by FotoEstate sustainably revolutionized the orientation management at the Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe. The visual transformation of the digital infrastructure led to a sudden relief for the clinic staff and drastically reduced the search times for patients and visitors on-site. The duration of stay and the interaction rate on the clinic's official website increased by over 50% after the implementation of the 3D tour. The time delays at registration and the associated waiting times in the treatment processes were reduced by an impressive 40%, as patients arrived optimally prepared and on time at the correct stations. The project achieved a 100 percent satisfaction rate among users and strengthened the image of the Städtisches Klinikum as an innovative, patient-oriented premium facility. The outstanding return on investment impressively demonstrated that FotoEstate's three-dimensional navigation technologies significantly optimize efficiency in modern healthcare.
Project Deep Dive: Process & Details
The initial situation: A demanding marketing
The Municipal Hospital of Karlsruhe is a maximum-care provider of central importance for the entire region. Despite its excellent medical reputation, communication regarding the spatial infrastructure through traditional media proved extremely difficult. The sheer size of 20,000 square meters, spread across various historical and modern wings, could not be represented with standard photographs or simple graphics. Patients often found their first contact with the hospital to be anonymous and intimidating. On digital channels, there was a lack of a tool that reduces fears and realistically and accessibly presents the excellently equipped specialist departments as well as the modern comfort wards, in order to transparently demonstrate the high quality of the location to potential patients and referrers in advance (a preventive approach to reducing anxiety, which we also successfully use in citizen participation in new urban districts).
The hurdle: Overcoming uncertainty in potential customers
The biggest hurdle in the daily routine was the psychological stress and uncertainty experienced by patients due to a lack of spatial orientation. Anyone who has to go to a hospital for medical treatment is already in a stressful situation. If there are no clear visual structures recognizable in the digital pre-phase, this uncertainty intensifies massively. Many patients hesitated when scheduling appointments or arrived late because they got lost in the sprawling area. For the hospital management, it was essential to completely remove this cognitive barrier. A solution was needed that created maximum transparency, made orientation easier for patients, and thus guaranteed a smooth, stress-free stay from the very first minute, in order to sustainably improve the quality of service.
The concept: Visual excellence and attention to detail
The FotoEstate team developed a comprehensive digitization concept under the guiding principle 'Transparency takes away fear.' The goal was to create a seamless digital twin of the Karlsruhe Clinic, which would be available as an interactive guide around the clock. Our concept envisaged a logical structuring of the scan routes, oriented around the primary patient flows – from the main entrance through the central waiting areas to the specialized departments. We planned the seamless integration of barrier-free pathways and the marking of elevators, restrooms, and service points, to provide all user groups with uncompromising detail accuracy and an effortlessly easy, intuitive operation on any device.
The Implementation: Technology Meets Craftsmanship
The technical implementation on-site in Karlsruhe was carried out by our certified 3D specialists with strict consideration of the sensitive hospital operations and data protection. The recordings were made during times with few visitors. Using state-of-the-art LiDAR scanners, the entire floor was digitized raster by raster, with the faces of passersby and sensitive patient data automatically anonymized. In post-production, our experts linked the scans into a seamless 3D tour. We implemented a customized navigation menu and linked the tour to the hospital's internal database, so that information about doctors and consultation hours is dynamically displayed in the interactive information points of the virtual environment.
The result: A flawless marketing success
The launch of the accessible online tour by FotoEstate proved to be a resounding success for the Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe. The visual and functional enhancement of the online presence quickly resolved the logistical problems. Patients use the system intensively to prepare for their appointments and have since been moving through the buildings completely safely. Feedback from patient associations and visitors was consistently enthusiastic, particularly regarding the accessible route planning. The organizational downtime in the admission areas was drastically minimized. The clinic praised FotoEstate for the professional, data protection-compliant execution, which has set new standards for digital patient marketing and modern hospital logistics.
What our partners say
"Through FotoEstate's 3D visualizations, we significantly shortened our time-to-market and secured our liquidity faster."
"FotoEstate's visual excellence is industry-leading. They help us present our premium properties in the best possible light."
"The 3D floor plans are so detailed that they provide an excellent basis even for complex planning discussions with clients."
"Integrating the Matterport data into our systems greatly simplified communication with our facility management service providers."
"Off-plan renderings are our strongest sales tool. They make the invisible visible and accelerate the closing process."
"The drone shots perfectly show how our properties are embedded in the surroundings. An important decision criterion for our clients."
"Through FotoEstate's 3D visualizations, we significantly shortened our time-to-market and secured our liquidity faster."
"FotoEstate's visual excellence is industry-leading. They help us present our premium properties in the best possible light."
"The 3D floor plans are so detailed that they provide an excellent basis even for complex planning discussions with clients."
"Integrating the Matterport data into our systems greatly simplified communication with our facility management service providers."
"Off-plan renderings are our strongest sales tool. They make the invisible visible and accelerate the closing process."
"The drone shots perfectly show how our properties are embedded in the surroundings. An important decision criterion for our clients."
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