The Impact of Virtual Reality on Student Design Decisions: Assessing Density and Proximity When Designing in Virtual Reality Versus Traditional Analog Processes

Abstract

For centuries, technological advances have aided designers in their work. However, the emergence of digital technologies has dramatically accelerated the pace and impact of new tools and technologies. The emergence of consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) in the last few years has the potential to dramatically impact the design profession through improved spatial interaction duringthedesignprocessandbymarryingtraditionalphysical analog processes with the benefits of a fluid digital technology. VR is quickly garnering the attention of researchers. Yet little research to date has focused on quantifying and understanding the impact of VR on the landscape architectural design process and the decisions made by designers. This research seeks to quantify the spatial impacts that VR has on the distribution of trees in a planting design task. Students across three universities participated in a planting design exercise using both traditional analog hand drafting techniques and digital techniques using VR. The study found that students utilized a greater number of trees and a larger portion of the site when designing in VR. These results may indicate that VR facilitated an improved spatial understanding of the site and design elements.