Real-time collage in Landscape Architecture

Digital landscape visualisations have primarily been used to present, explain and market landscape scenarios, rather than being used as a working model and to provide a meaningful contribution towards improving final results (ORLAND 1992, LANGE 1999, PAAR 2006). In landscape architecture, computer graphics are particularly applied in two ways: 1) as CAD programs for the production of the draft, and implementation plans and 2) for the preparation of perspectives, which are to give a motivating and stimulating view on proposed future reality. Real-time visualisation technologies are rarely used, a fact that does not surprise having the current international competition practice in mind. The common submission in idea and realisation competitions – main source in acquisition of large public construction projects – is formed by plans, perspectives, cross sections etc. as hardcopies. The files of the hardcopies are additionally submitted as copy on data media or online. However, these digital work pieces are only used for publication and archiving. The decision of the jury is exclusively based on the „hung up“ plans and drawings, the explanatory notes, and possibly a submitted mock-up. This paper points out, how new methods of real-time visualisation can be linked with traditional analogue and digital methods of collage techniques and which future potentials can be derived from it.