Description:
Cutting-edge computational and visualization tools are becoming increasingly popular in urban and participatory planning processes, yet the full potential is far from being achieved. This workshop aims to integrate different perspectives from architecture, engineering, mathematical modeling, and human-computer interaction. In the twin rapid prototyping (TRP) process presented at the workshop, a collaborative setting will be created by combining MR technology, physical models and table top interaction. By adding immersion to physical miniatures, a novel urban planning process is introduced to the audience. Moreover, true interaction becomes possible in the physical model through real-time simulations.
The scope of the workshop is limited to the Chalmers Johanneberg Campus, but the presented framework is scalable from the building to the district to the city level. The desired outcome of this workshop is three-fold: (1) to introduce a broader technical audience to the benefits of using state-of the art computational tools in all the phases of city planning; (2) to enable an immersive user experience for both the planner and the end-user, allowing them to discuss on a level never experienced before; (3) and to provide a basis for discussion between the developers of the VirtualCity@Chalmers platform and the participants.
The workshop consists of two parts divided in two days:
Day 1: theoretical part providing insight into VirtualCity@Chalmers project;
Day 2: practical exercise focusing on the creation of a new building on Johanneberg campus, both in 3D printed version and as a virtual twin.
During day 1, the theoretical background of VirtualCity@Chalmers will be introduced, including some basic elements of all the applied technologies. A brief overview of the software environment and a detailed explanation of the proposed workflow will follow.
On day 2, participants will be asked to develop a design exercise to get familiar with the VirtualCity@Chalmers platform and the workflow. The specific challenge is to find an appropriate new building that can be added to the campus; physically – through a 3-D printed model and the table top display – and virtually – in Unreal Engine and in the VR domain. In this phase, as in any real urban planning process, a variety of technical challenges need to be solved by the participants. While using the available simulation tools for both immersive user experience and proper design decisions, participants will be called to propose ways of exploiting the capabilities of the platform and the tools, aiming higher than just to impress. Moreover, a discussion on the user’s perspective will take place, in order to access feature requests and improvements to the platform of VirtualCity@Chalmers.
For more information, visit http://virtualcity.chalmers.se/
Expected Skill Level: Experience with the Unreal Game Engine preferable.
Tutors:
Anders Logg, Vasilis Naserentin, Khanh-Duy Le and Fabio Latino
Bio:
Anders Logg is a professor of computational mathematics at Chalmers University of Technology where he is also the director of the Area of Advance Building Futures. He has a broad interest for many and diverse applications in continuum mechanics, biomedicine, general relativity, and architecture. His main research focus is on mathematical modeling and how simulation methodology and software can be automated, generalized, and reused across disciplines. He is one of the founders of the FEniCS Project and the author of bestselling books on finite element simulation.
Vasilis Naserentin is a research engineer at Chalmers University of Technology, and lead developer in the project VirtualCity@Chalmers. There, he is engaged in the integration of scientific data into an interactive virtual world aimed for urban planning. Vasilis is also part of the Fraunhofer-Chalmers Research Centre for Industrial Mathematics, where his research is focused on high performance computing applications, mainly in the field of fluid dynamics simulations of multiphase flows. He is keen on employing state of the art software and computer engineering technologies (general-purpose computing on graphic cards, mixed reality, cloud integration) into different aspects of scientific research and happy to talk about it.
Khanh-Duy Le, shortly called Duy, is a full-time PhD student specialized in human-computer interaction at the t2i lab, Chalmers University of Technology. Duy earned his bachelor’s degree in software engineering with first class honors from the Ho Chi Minh University of Science in Vietnam. He then obtained a double-diploma master’s degree in Multimedia from a program jointly conducted by, Télécom ParisTech (France), Eurécom (France), and VNU-HCMC (Vietnam). His current research interest is to design novel interactive interfaces to support team collaboration either in collocated or distributed settings. He is passionate in employing cutting-edge interactive technologies such as interactive surfaces, mixed reality, virtual reality and motion sensing technologies to enable human to interact with computers in intuitive and effective ways.
Fabio Latino is an Architect and Urban Planner currently working in the VirtualCity@Chalmers project at Chalmers University of Technology. Fabio completed his bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the University of the Arts London. He then obtained a double master’s degree in Architecture and Sustainable Urban Development from Aalto University (Finland) and Chalmers University (Sweden), where he wrote his thesis on the role of soundscape and walkability in public space – a multidisciplinary research project that aims to bridge acoustic engineering and urban studies to bring more considerations in urban planning processes. He has experience in bottom-up approaches in urban planning and contributed to public participation tools and processes to create more livable cities. He is interested in multidisciplinarity and experimental applications of architecture in the built environment.