HashimaXR Unreal Engine Codebase

HashimaXR Unreal Engine Codebase

The complete Unreal Engine codebase developed for the HashimaXR Project (www.thehashimaxrproject.org), exported as a compressed archive. Contains all project files, 3D assets, environment design, lighting configurations, and developmental builds for an unreleased XR reconstruction of Hashima Island (Gunkanjima), Japan.

About the Project

HashimaXR was a collaborative extended reality (XR) project developed between 2021 and 2024 that aimed to reconstruct Hashima Island's coal-mining community as it existed in the early 1970s. The project sought to foreground everyday life while creating space for histories that official heritage narratives have marginalized. Although the project achieved sophisticated spatial reconstruction and narrative design, it did not reach public release.

Contents

This archive includes:

- Unreal Engine Project Files – Complete UE project structure, including configuration files and project settings
- 3D Environment Assets – Detailed reconstructions of Hashima's residential buildings, including the iconic Building 30, seawalls, stairs, corridors, and public spaces
- Building Information Modelling (BIM) Integration – Architectural data contributed by local collaborator Dr Kyoichi Nakamura, based on his 2007–2008 Project D3 CAH research
- Lighting and Weather Systems – Atmospheric configurations for different times of day and weather conditions
- Soundscape Assets – Audio files and spatial audio configurations
- Prototype Builds – Developmental versions used for demonstrations, academic workshops, and stakeholder presentations

Technical Foundation

The Unreal Engine codebase represents the project team's view of the first fully integrated 3D immersive representation of Hashima's entire surface environment, completed in early summer 2023. The reconstruction was built on foundational Building Information Modelling data originally developed by Nakamura Kyoichi for the NPO Nagasaki Prefectural Science and Industry Promotion Organization's Project D3 CAH (2007–2008), subsequently extended by the HashimaXR team to include industrial facilities on the island's eastern half.

Access Restrictions

The files associated with this record are available under Restricted access. Requests will be approved only for noncommercial scholarly research and verification purposes, and access is granted on the condition that requesters agree to the HashimaXR Project Archive Restricted Data Use Terms. In brief, recipients must not redistribute the files or post them publicly, must not attempt to re-identify any individual whose personal data has been removed or replaced, and must not upload the materials to external AI systems or third-party processing services. Approved users must store the files on secure systems with access limited to the approved user(s) and must delete all copies within one (1) month of access being granted (or earlier upon completion of the approved purpose or upon depositor request). Scholarly use must cite this record’s DOI and include the following acknowledgment statement: “Restricted-access materials from the HashimaXR Project Archive were consulted under depositor-approved conditions for scholarly verification. The underlying correspondence remains restricted to minimize disclosure and identifiability risks.”

Related Archives

This deposit is part of the HashimaXR Project Archive:
- Game Design Documents (restricted access): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18021294

Project Team

Co-Principal Investigators: Dr Christopher Gerteis (SOAS University of London), Dr Kyoichi Nakamura (一宇一級建築士事務所), and Dr Bill Mihalopoulos (SOAS University of London, Japan Research Centre). Unreal Engine development: Adam Kay and Jakob MacDonald. Core project members included: Gareth Mattey, Dr Hiroko Hashimoto, and Katherine Strachan.

Project website: https://www.thehashimaxrproject.org