Though still in its infancy, virtual and augmented reality are opening up new approaches to industries that for decades have been technologically stagnant. Locally based Illustrate My Design is taking a stab at the nascent tech by applying it to architecture.

Ten-year-old IMD aims to bridge the gap between professionals and non-professionals in the real estate design process by creating visual experiences for projects before shovels hit dirt.

“There’s typically a misunderstanding when engineers are putting technical drawings in front of people, and there are just nods,” co-founder Florenica Bialet said. “Ninety percent of the general public can’t imagine 3-D space – when you talk about the size of a room or ceiling height, those translations into a mental image just don’t happen for most people.”