communicating landscape design ideas by using … · communicating landscape design ideas by using...

COMMUNICATING LANDSCAPE DESIGN IDEAS BY

USING VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) LANDSCAPE MODELS

Akhmad Arifin HADI, Einar KRETZLER, Barty WARREN-KRETZSCHMAR

1 ABSTRACT

The visualization in landscape projects is needed in order to support communication

between designers and stakeholders. The objective of this research is to investigate the use

of Virtual Reality (VR) models for visualizing landscape design ideas from designer to

stakeholders in the case study Situ Leutik Lake, Indonesia. It answers the question whether

a VR model combined with an online questionnaire can be a method for using public

participation in the landscape design process.

The research was started by creating three design alternatives of Situ Leutik Lake in a VR

model using Quest 3D. The second step obtained public feedback about this VR model

using an online questionnaire. Respondents were asked to investigate three design

alternatives after doing a walkthrough in the VR model. Respondents were also asked to

select the most preferred design alternative and give suggestions about the final design.

The results show that respondents understand the concepts in each landscape design

alternative and agree that VR model can be a media used to communicate landscape design

ideas. The landscape design alternative number 3 is the most preferred landscape design

chosen by respondents. The feedback from respondents about the proposed site supports the

statement by Sheppard et al (2008) that visioning by using VR model can affect awareness,

emotion and motivation of a community to its environment. For site cases which involve

the public and consider sustainability of the environment, the use of a VR model is very

useful for communicating landscape design ideas

Keywords: Visualization, Virtual Reality, Landscape, Design, Quest 3D

2 Introduction

The two way communication between designers and users is needed in order to avoid

misunderstanding and minimize mistakes in landscape projects. The communication is

completed by visualization of ideas both in 2D format or through 3D visualization. The

visualization of landscape design idea can be created by using hand drawings and miniature

models, and also by using modern computer graphics such as 2D photo montage, 3D still

images, 3D animation, 3D printing and Virtual Reality (VR) models (LANGE 2006).

The VR model is a new technology in landscape visualization. With a VR model, users not

only can see the simulation of a proposed design in 3 dimension model, but also are free to

explore it by doing a walkthrough inside the model (www.virtualware.es). By doing a

walkthrough in the VR model, users can have a virtual experience that stimulates their

awareness about environmental changes of the project site. Nowadays, high visual qualities

and realism are becoming increasingly available in real-time software (Bishop, 2006).

Communicating Landscape Design Ideas by using VR Landscape Model 231

Virtual reality such as in game technology is important for landscape architecture works

because it can help to make a lot of technical problems easier to understand by provided

tools and information handled (MACH 2008).

The Public participation is one of methods to gather information about users' response of

design proposed. Public participation is very important because it influences environmental

mediation and decision making (ARBTER ET AL. 2007). The location of the landscape

designer and stakeholders can even be on different continents. Here, the Internet is an

appropriate tool in order to do two way-communication between landscape designers and

stakeholders located in different places (CREIGHTON 2005).

Objective

The objective is to investigate the capability of a VR model for communicating landscape

design ideas to proposed users in the site case study Situ Leutik Lake. It is answer the

question if VR model combined with online questionnaire can be a media to gather public

participation in landscape design process for case study which is related with public and

environments.

METHODOLOGY

Time and Place

The research was done in June and September, 2010. The case study is Situ Leutik Lake

which is located in the middle of Bogor Agricultural University Campus, Indonesia.

Research Method

The research method is a quantitative and qualitative method.. The research starts by

collecting data and finished by final landscape design (Figure 1).

A. Hadi 232

Fig. 1: Step of Research

In the preliminary design phase, the author as designer offered three landscape design

alternatives of Situ Leutik Lake to respondents (Figure 2). The design alternatives are based

on degree of intervention to existing condition. The three design alternatives and one

existing model are presnted as VR models of Situ Leutik Lake and tested by respondents.

Landscape Design Alternatives

The concept of the first landscape design alternative is low intervention to the existing

condition. Almost all existing landscape elements are preserved. The additional landscape

elements are only two promenades connecting two building clusters, the Faculty of

Fisheries and Marine Science and the Library Centre.With this promenade, people can walk

between two building clusters while enjoying the view along the waterfront.


Fig. 2: Site Plan of Design Alternative 1

Fig. 3: Bird’s eye view of a design alternative 1

A. Hadi 234

Fig. 4: View of the lake from promenade. The viewer’s location is marked by red arrow

on overview map

The second landscape design alternative changes the landscape scene more than the first

alternative. Some trees near the waterfront are logged to make way for a paved promenade.

At the same time, the number of trees is increased on the north side. There is a little

arboretum with collection of trees that can be used for outdoor classes. The users still can

access the waterfront by three docks. The docks are become viewpoints for people to do

sightseeing and stopping point for boating activities.



Fig. 6: The bird view image of design alternative 2

A. Hadi 236

Fig. 7: The promenade on waterfront slope.


Fig. 8: The dock for sightseeing and support recreational activities.

The third design alternative is combination between concept of design alternative 1 and

design alternative 2. The users are given opportunity to enjoy sight viewing on the lake,

waterfront and land. It is giving more option and opportunity to various user preferences to

walk along waterfront or along slope. There is an arboretum at the north side divide by

centric paths. The arboretum itself, together with existing trees, will be objects for

education activities of students and teacher on campus.

A. Hadi 238



Fig. 10: Aerial view of Design Alternative 3

A. Hadi 240

Fig. 11: The gate guide to node in Arboretum area


Fig. 12: The sculpture on north dock promenade

Questionnaire Result

Respondents & Ability to Operate VR Model

From 36 respondents who fulfilled online questionnaire, six of them are below 20 years old

(17%), twenty eight of them are between 21-25 years old (78%), one of them is between

36-40 years old (3%) and one of them is over 40 years old (3%) (Figure 17).The most of

respondents (94%) are students and relatively young people below 25 years old. It is

assumed that this group of respondent is familiar with internet and virtual reality game 3D.

A. Hadi 242

Fig. 13: Diagram of Respondents' Age.

From the question about ability to do walkthrough in VR model, all respondents give

positive answer. They are able to do walkthrough inside VR model (100%). It shows that

respondents understand about the manual of operating VR model to do walkthrough by

using arrows button on PC keyboard. The manual in VR model is very important in order to

give explanation to respondents about how to operate VR model.

The next questions are about the difficulties of operating VR model. Six respondents (17%)

mentioned that they lost inside the VR model while they do walkthrough, but the rest of

them, thirty respondents (83%) said they did not lost inside VR model. The next question

is, does orientation map in left bottom side of VR model window can help them, thirty four

respondents (94%) agree that orientation map can help them when do walkthrough and only

two respondents cannot use orientation map for finding their current position in VR model.

In the question about bird view camera, thirty respondents (83%) can change view from

human view to bird view camera and only six respondents cannot use bird view camera to

see overview of VR model. It shows that almost all of respondents can define their location

while doing walkthrough by orientation map and bird view facilities. In VR model of

landscape, it is important to put orientation map and investigation camera from above in

order to avoid users get lost when they do walkthrough inside VR model.

Overall, respondents do not have difficulties to operate VR model (Figure 18). In question

about the degree of difficulties to operate VR model, twenty five respondents (69%)

answered that the operation of VR model is not difficult and not easy (neutral), seven

respondents (19%) answered it is easy to operate VR model and one respondent (3%)

answered it is very easy to operate it. Only three respondents (8 %) mentioned that it is


difficult to operate VR model of Situ Leutik Lake. This result and previous result show that

most of respondents do not have problem to operate VR model of Situ Leutik Lake.

Fig. 14: Diagram of Degree of Difficulties of VR Situ Leutik Lake Operation.

The next important question is about the capability of VR model to communicate landscape

design idea from designer to client. Almost all of respondents, thirty five people (97%),

agree that VR model can be used as media to communicate landscape design idea to clients

or stakeholders. Only one respondent (3%) do not agree that VR model is a suitable media

to communicate landscape design idea to stakeholders (Figure 19). This is a positive result,

that in case study Situ Leutik Lake, respondents agree that VR model can be media to

communicate landscape design idea from designers to stakeholders.

A. Hadi 244

Fig. 15: Proporsion of Respondents Who are Agree that VR Situ Leutik Lake can be

Media to Communicate Landscape Design Idea of Situ Leutik Lake

Conclusion

Visualization in VR model is very important for landscape architecture works. Despite the

weakness of time and money consuming to create VR model, landscape designers who

have VR model in landscape design process still have a lot of benefits in communicating

clear landscape design idea in real-time 3 dimensional presentations to stakeholders. In case

study Situ Leutik Lake, respondents agree that VR model is suitable media to represent the

real-world of Situ Leutik Lake. Respondents also understand about landscape design idea

from each landscape design alternatives in VR model. This result is very important because

it shows that in case study Situ Leutik Lake, VR model is suitable media to communicate

landscape design idea between author as landscape designer and users. The feedback from

respondents afterwards shows that VR model can stimulate cognition, awareness and

emotions of users about design development of Situ Leutik Lake. It is supporting the

statement from SHEPPARD, ET AL (2008), that visioning by workshops can influence

participant engagement, credibility, cognition, awareness, emotions, motivation and

behavior of public participants.


REFERENCES

Arbter, K., Handler, M., Purker, E., Tappeiner, G. Trattnigg, R. (2007): The Public

Participation Manual; Shaping The Future Together. Austrian Society for Environment

and Technology (ÖGUT) & Federal Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, the

Environment and Water Supply, Vienna.

Bishop, I.D. (2006): Visualization for Participation: The Advantages of Real-Time? In:

Buhmann, E., Paar, P., Bishop, I., Lange, E (Eds), Proc. At Anhalt University of

Applied

Creighton, J.L. (2005): The Public participation Handbook; Making Better Decisions

Through Citizen Involvement. Jossey-Bass

Fatimah, I.S., Hadi, A.A., Utami, F.N.H, Krisanti, M., Brodjo, M., Pratiwi, N. T. M.

(2007): Kajian Penataan Situ Leutik dan Penanganan Mutu Air untuk Pendidikan-

research report. Pelaksanaan Aktivitas Pengembangan Bidang Ilmu di IPB pada

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