Developing a virtual 3D environment by using game engine is a strategy to incorporate various multimedia data into one platform. The characteristic of game engine that is preinstalled with interactive and navigation tools allows users to explore and engage with the game objects. However, most CAD and GIS applications are not equipped with 3D tools and navigation systems intended to the user experience. In particular, 3D game engines provide standard 3D navigation tools as well as any programmable view to create engaging navigation thorough the virtual environment. By using a game engine, it is possible to create other interaction such as object manipulation, non playing character (NPC) interaction with player and/or environment. We conducted analysis on previous game engines and experiment on urban design project with Unity3D game engine for visualization and interactivity. At the end, we present the advantages and limitations using game technology as visual representation tool for architecture and urban design studies

Designing urban landscapes for climate change adaptation and mitigation has been highly promoted in contemporary urban development. However, the lack of climate-based design knowledge and techniques in existing urban landscape practice has challenged the implementation. This paper, therefore, introduced a climate-led urban landscape design method to overcome such a dilemma. This approach was results-oriented, and it adopted an integrated use of microclimate, thermal comfort, and GIS modelling and simulation tools. Through the scenarios comparison, this paper has assessed and figured out efficient landscape designs for microclimate and thermal comfort improvement in Ipoh, Malaysia. It showed that shading most determined outdoor thermal comfort, making effective street tree planting an essential measure in the tropical climate-led plan. Besides, this study found that wind did not positively influence thermal comfort due to site characteristic at a particular time, in contrast with other hot regions. In conclusion, developing climate-led landscape and greenery in urban design is a functional initiative for urban cooling and sustainable urban development. Furthermore, the application of modelling and simulation methods in urban landscape design can reduce the possibility of failure in practice, thereby promising urban efficiency in response to climate change.

In recent years, researchers in the architecture field have explored VR technology for various purposes in the architectural design process. Current efforts have supported the growing knowledge of VR utilization, specifically for the architectural design review process. In this study, we adapt the affordance concept from the ecological psychology study to add further evidence on VR utilization for the design review process. This study aims to develop an affordance-based design review method in architectural design by utilizing immersive VR technology. It sits at the crossroads of architecture design, virtual reality, and affordance research. This project aimed to create an affordance-based review method framework, a VR system to support the method, test both the method and the VR system, and assess the VR system’s effectiveness as a companion system for the affordance-based design method process. The study was conducted in the scope of architectural education settings only. It used a third-year architectural design studio course as a case. This study confirms that the affordance-based design review method using virtual reality helps students improve their design work. The method reveals the presence of positive and negative affordances in their work. It also shows the differences between a student and supervisor in perceiving the affordances for reviewing design works.

Virtual reality (VR) technology can help students conduct a design evaluation process on their architecture studio course submission. This study explores an architectural design evaluation method that uses an affordance-based design approach with two phases: “Non-VR (NVR) prior to VR” and “NVR followed by VR.” A game-engine-based VR system was developed for this research. The simulated VR system used information from building information modeling (BIM) models to provide information about the evaluated architectural design. Participants evaluated submissions by recognizing the affordances and then mapping them using an affordance structure matrix. All data were evaluated to compare the evaluation results between the two phases. Generally, the evaluation process helps identify perceived affordances in design submissions. The different media provide additional feedback for students.

Analyzing population and employment sizes at the local finer geographic scale of transit station areas offers valuable insights for cities in terms of developing better decision-making skills to support transit-oriented development. Commonly, the station area population and employment have been derived from census tract or even block data. Unfortunately, such detailed census data are hardly available and difficult to access in cities of developing countries. To address this problem, this paper explores an alternative technique in remote estimation of population and employment by using building floor space derived from an official administrative geographic information system (GIS) dataset. Based on the assumption that building floor space is a proxy to a number of residents and workers, we investigate to what extent they can be used for estimating the station area population and employment. To assess the model, we employ five station areas with heterogeneous environments in Tokyo as our empirical case study. The estimated population and employment are validated with the actual population and employment as reported in the census. The results indicate that building floor space, together with the city level aggregate information of building morphology, the density coefficient, demographic attributes, and real estate statistics, are able to generate a reasonable estimation.

Understanding outdoor thermal comfort and resilience is essential for the creation of a resilient urban environment. However, there is a lack of knowledge and capacities in interfacing an urban design model with local thermal characteristic in practices. Therefore, this chapter proposes using an integrated modelling-and-simulation-based approach to study and build outdoor thermal comfort and resilience in tropical cities from an urban design perspective. To understand the impacts of traditional tropical cityscape on thermal comfort and resilience, the model visualised the thermal landscape of Ipoh in Malaysia, which were reviewed and reflected on, finally providing insights into the distribution of heat within the urban fabric. The results showed that the compact layout pattern of the Old Town and the greenery integrated into the New Town both have strong cooling effects in their respective thermal environments. Design recommendations focused largely on providing adequate shading at the pedestrian level. In sum, outdoor comfort will become an increasingly important factor in the liveability, thermal health and safety of inhabitants of urban areas. Learning lessons from the thermal-spatial relationships revealed can provide invaluable knowledge and inspiration to design more resilient urban areas in a heating climate successfully.