Four new master’s theses explore digital tools for planning, design, heritage, and public participation.
How can digital technologies support better spatial understanding, more informed public participation, responsible design practice, and new ways of interpreting cultural heritage? Four master’s theses completed during the spring 2026 semester at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) address these questions through research on digital 3D models, artificial intelligence, planning visualisations, and heritage reconstruction. The studies reflect several central areas of work at the VR-Lab: the use of immersive and visual technologies to communicate complex spatial information, the critical application of AI in design practice, and the potential of digital reconstruction to make lost cultural landscapes visible and accessible.
Digital 3D Models in Norwegian Planning Practice
Kyrre Nordal’s master’s thesis examines how digital 3D models are used in Norwegian municipal planning and their potential for communication and public participation. Based on a national survey, document analysis, and a Bergen case study, the research finds that 3D models can improve understanding of scale, terrain, height, and spatial relationships. However, their use remains limited by weak integration into municipal routines, software systems, and planning processes. The thesis was supervised by Ramzi Hassan and Elin Børrud.
Responsible Use of AI in Landscape Architecture
Ruben Haavik’s master’s thesis investigates how AI can support early-stage landscape architectural work while keeping professional judgment central. Using a case study in Grünerløkka, Oslo, the research shows that AI can help structure information, identify stakeholders, and reflect on design material. However, it remains unreliable in spatial design tasks, where drawings may contain conflicts and inconsistencies. The thesis argues that AI outputs must be assessed against clear professional criteria. The thesis was supervised by Ramzi Hassan.
Reconstructing Oscarshall’s Lost Greenhouse
Dagny Lein Værnes and Erlend Tegneby Vegstø investigate how digital 3D reconstruction can support the interpretation of lost cultural landscapes. Their project reconstructs the Neo-Gothic greenhouse at Oscarshall and its historical landscape setting at Thulstrupløkken, Bygdøy, using archival material, maps, photographs, archaeological findings, and landscape analysis. The reconstruction makes historical spatial relationships visible while presenting uncertain elements as qualified interpretations. The thesis was supervised by Bjørn Anders Fredriksen and Ramzi Hassan.
Public Participation and Planning Visualisations
Ole Aarre Engesbak and Kathrine Glein Sørensen examine how laypeople understand zoning maps and supplementary planning visualisations. Through focus groups with 18 participants, the study finds that legally binding zoning maps are difficult for many non-professionals to interpret, while illustrative plans and renderings make proposed developments easier to understand. The thesis highlights a central tension between the documents people understand best and those with legal authority. The thesis was supervised by Elin Børrud and Ramzi Hassan.
Together, these four studies demonstrate how digital technologies are shaping the ways landscapes, cities, heritage environments, and planning proposals are analysed, communicated, and discussed. At the same time, the studies show that technology alone is not enough. Whether working with AI, 3D models, planning visualisations, or digital reconstruction, the value of digital tools depends on critical methods, transparent communication, professional expertise, and careful integration into planning and design processes.