Virtual Reality and the Interactive Design of Elevated Public Spaces: Cognitive Experience vs VR Experience.

VR and visualization are visual aids, but can give much more than sight, such as a wider sensation of being in the 3D world. For the past ten years, researchers and organizations have been trying to find ways to get the public more involved in social project design and execution. Technologies such as Visual Simulation (VS) and Virtual Reality (VR) could make it possible to provide final stakeholders and consumers with closer access to the design and implementation processes of social projects. This paper analyzed two recent developments in London, Sky Garden and Crossrail Place. The study investigates how technologies such as VR can enhance the design experience of elevated urban spaces. The main aim of this study is to explore the difference and similarities between human interaction in the real cognitive experience and the virtual world. The method used in this study is walk-long interviews with the visitors of both gardens and a VR exploratory experiment, followed by semi-structured interviews with the participants. This methodology brings the participant as an active element of the project, able to explore the space and propose changes. The paper discussed (i) the design quality of elevated social spaces such as accessibility, circulation, activities, design concerns and design features, (ii) the participant’s experience and behaviour during the study and (iii) the effectiveness of the design used tools. The results showed a positive impact on enhancing user involvement and allowed users to produce and test different design alternatives in real time. The research findings include a study of human activities in the physical and the virtual world, pedestrian modelling for the selected case studies, and an analysis of the potential need for new rules and regulations relating to the use of such spaces. The research also highlighted the limitations and potentials of using these new methods as a co-design approach for designing public and social spaces in the city.