Point-Cloud Modeling: Exploring a Site-Specific Approach for Landscape Design

Abstract

The paper discusses point-cloud modeling as a digital design method in the field of landscape architecture. Technological development in the last decade facilitates the acquisition and handling of high-precision 3D data collected with laser-scanning. Point-cloud modelling uses the laser-scanned data to precisely replicate and manipulate the environment in the form of 3D point-cloud models. It engages the characteristics of form and scale of a physical site and results in a transformative workflow linked to the present condition of the site. The design method employs point-cloud models as a tool of analysis, modelling and design. By representing the physical form of a place, point-cloud models may offer a return to the roots of the landscape profession, establishing a direct contact between the form of the site and the invention of the design. The method introduces a new approach in digital modelling that could make a significant contribution in crafting future landscape design solutions.