How Virtual Reality Impacts the Landscape Architecture Design Process during the Phases of Analysis and Concept Development at the Master Planning Scale

Virtual reality (VR) can offer many benefits for designers. In the field of landscape architecture, the technology is primarily being used as a tool for design review in the late stages of the design process, yet many of the benefits that make VR valuable in the later stages of the design process suggest that VR may be equally valuable when used in earlier stages such as analysis and concept development. This research examined incorporating VR into the design phases of analysis and concept development, and integrated its use with traditional landscape architecture methods to measure its impacts on a large scale master planning project. This research explores the advantages and limitations of VR and suggests a positive outlook for VR as a design tool.