Virtual Reality As a New Tool in the City Planning Process

Kaj Sunesson**, Carl Martin Allwood, Dan Paulin, Ilona Heldal,
Mattias Roupé, Mikael Johansson, Börje Westerdahl
Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden

TSINGHUA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ISSN􀀂 1007-0214􀀂 41/67􀀂 pp255-260
Volume 13, Number S1, October 2008


Abstract: The introduction of virtual reality (VR)-models in the city planning process will cause changes in the traditional roles of the involved parties. In order to better understand some of these changes, the events involving the use of VR-models in an architectural competition concerning rebuilding-proposals for the city library in a Swedish city were analyzed. The study shows that VR was introduced into the competition as an extra add-on and that the VR-presentation was experienced as useful by the jury. The transformation of the architects’ contributions into VR was experienced as problematic by the architects, partly because they lost full control over the presentation. In the future architects are likely to have to produce the VR-models for their proposals themselves. This may make it more difficult for smaller architectural firms to enter the market but their proposals will be more accessible to a wider group of stakeholders.

Key words: architecture; architectural competition; city planning; construction planning; VR-models


the article source:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1007021408701585

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