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VIRTUAL HISTORIES
from Intersight 25
by University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo
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Jessica Rote Randy Fernando Fall 2022
Independent Study
MArch
Can we practice historic preservation remotely? Independent studies allow graduate students to research topics beyond those offered in the established coursework, typically from a personal interest. These explorations often become a launching point for other academic or professional endeavors.
MArch student Jessica Rote elected to study the future of historic buildings in Puerto Rico and Buffalo using virtual reality (VR) and 3D scanning processes. In collaboration with a digital archiving team based in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rote explored ways to integrate these new technologies to aid in the documentation, representation, and as a way to virtually experience historic buildings.
Through curating a digital archive, Rote demonstrated how this scanning technique combines visual and spatial data to produce highly accurate representations of space. The scanner leaves out objects such as tables and chairs that typically fill a space, leaving only the spatial definitions of floors, walls, and ceilings. The generated model was used as a baseline, a doll house-style model that could be referenced later to inform design decisions.
“The project breaks down communication barriers that happen through different technologies. The VR headset was a tool to minimize any of those miscommunications, and invite more people to use it."
- Jessica Rote
A lidar scan, or laser imaging, detection, and ranging, does not always pick up every detail of the existing interior condition. Therefore, communication with a team on-site in Puerto Rico was vital to the process. The combination of the digital and analog observations produced a more accurate representation than either team could on their own.
Working remotely with the team in Puerto Rico, Rote processed the data from the scan and used it to construct a digital model that became a VR environment. The overarching goal of this study was to understand how and in what ways lidar scanning and VR environments of historic structures could be used to inform contemporary design.
