Mingchuan Ma

This research study is part of a larger research project of Dr. Laura Musacchio who has been investigating how biophilic design can be integrated into outdoor and indoor spaces in a campus transect at the East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota. Two research questions were the focus of this research study: (1) What were the important lessons learned from some case studies of biophilic design that demonstrate different uses of 3-D/VR technologies? and (2) What was the feasibility of using one or two types of 3-D/VR technologies in a prototype biophilic design model of an outdoor garden room in the campus transect? The aim with these research questions was to provide a deeper understanding about the potential uses of 3-D/VR technologies in immersive biophilic experiences and visual representations in future campus designs. The first stage of the research study selected case studies from literature about biophilic design and 3-D/VR. A modified version of the case study method by Francis (2001) developed lessons learned from these selected case studies. The lesson learned from these case studies helped to inform the second stage of the research study. For the second stage of the research study, different types of 3-D/VR software were compared for advantages and disadvantages for use in the design of a prototype biophilic design model of an outdoor garden room in the campus transect. The 3-D/VR part of this research study received assistance from Charlie Heinz and Scott Spicer of the Virtual Reality Studio at the Health Sciences Library.