The College of Environment and Design’s Senior Project and Graduate Capstone summer studio was held fully online, but that did not stop the landscape architecture students from experiencing their project site from afar. Dr. Jessica Fernandez’s class used emerging technologies for site exploration and analysis of their Atlanta BeltLine urban plaza and multimodal trail project located in Atlanta, Georgia. Most students had not visited the site, which was located on the Eastside Trail adjacent to Ponce City Market. Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, an in-person class site visit was not in the cards.
Site location in Atlanta, Georgia.
To take this site design challenge head on, the studio implemented virtual reality (VR) technologies from home with the help of affordable personal Google Cardboard headsets. The headsets create a VR experience through the placement of a smart phone within the headset, paired with applications that have street views to allow to user to feel as though they are in the space being viewed. Through this method, students were able to experience a VR bike ride of the Beltline trail that runs through their site, allowing them to get an impression of the hustle and bustle of the area as well as hear the sounds of birds, wind, people, and nearby traffic. Students described that they were able to get a “feel of the space,” which would not have been possible otherwise. Students were also provided with VR Hotspots of the project site so that they could access various locations from different vantage points. One student described the VR Hotspots as “a better form of site photos” that can be experienced over and over. The hotspots are 2D overlays placed in a 360 degree360-degree environment that create an interactive experience for the user.
Student expression of site analysis from an at-home virtual reality exercise. By students Jeffcoat, Rymer, Teague.
Additionally, students reviewed and analyzed social media data tagged under the Atlanta BeltLine moniker to understand how the general public interacts with the multimodal trail. Social media posts were categorized based on qualitative analysis tracking variables such as tone, mood, the time of day during which the post was posted, and whether the posts were created by tourists or Atlanta locals. Dr. Fernandez frequently collaborates with Dr. Yang Song of Texas A&M University on the exploration of social media data as a source for understanding place. Dr. Yang was able to serve as a resource and guest critic for studio reviews, instructing the CED students to use this methodology to understand when and how people use the Beltline, as well as what people currently like and don’t like about the site and its immediate surroundings.
Example of student output from analysis of Instagram and TripAdvisor data of the project site. By students Jeffcoat, Rymer, Teague.
Dr. Fernandez stated that, “we are excited to push the envelope on how we approach the assessment of sites that landscape architects work on. Many times, as designers, we are not able to return to a site over and over, and our knowledge of experiential and human-based site information can be limited. The methods applied in this studio help overcome those challenges.” As one student put it, emerging technologies for site design and analysis are “definitely the future” and created a unique exploration of a site project during a time of social distancing and online design learning. Without the possibility of online instruction, Dr. Fernandez would not have been able to teach the summer studio at all. The course not only gave her a chance to continue her research, but also teach students valuable lessons in design.
Site use analysis by time of day using quantity Instagram posts over time. By students Jeffcoat, Rymer, Teague.
Aside from, but connected to the online summer, Epic Games has awarded the College of Environment and Design with a $25,000 Epic MegaGrant to integrate virtual reality and advanced visualization technologies into teaching and research efforts. The grant, secured by Dr. Jessica Fernandez, will help increase the visual literacy of design students and provide a platform to re-imagine approaches to the design and planning of the built environment. Funds will fuel the creation of course materials to teach emerging technologies, the purchase of equipment for virtual reality stations, and the acquisition of virtual site elements to aid students in the creation of immersive environments. This grant will not only help to create new interactive experiences for students but will also allow them hands-on experience with technology that may be an integral part of their future profession.
