Through collaboration with landscape design studio LAA341, VR-Lab conducted a pilot project where students explored how AI and spatial computing can transform urban design processes, developing innovative strategies for walkable and socially vibrant public spaces in Porsgrunn.
As we witness rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and spatial computing, landscape design and planning community are actively exploring how to adapt to and respond to these emerging technological possibilities. With these developments already shaping expectations in practice, universities have a responsibility to create environments where students can experiment, question, and critically assess the added value of AI and immersive technologies. The crucial task is to give future landscape architects space to investigate the potential of these tools and learn how to harness them in ways that enhance spatial reasoning and design integrity, while ensuring that new technologies are applied with ecological awareness, social responsibility, and ethical care.
VR-Lab has successfully completed an innovative teaching pilot within the course LAA341 "The Urban Landscape as a Social Arena" where students explored how AI and immersive 3D/VR media can meaningfully transform the design of more walkable and socially vibrant cities. As part of this experimental project, two student groups worked on a real case study in Porsgrunn, Norway, testing how emerging technologies can enhance both creative decision-making and communication throughout the design process.
Throughout the autumn semester of 2025, the students used AI to interpret site challenges and explore new design opportunities within Porsgrunn’s urban landscape. They developed digital twin environments, generated multiple alternative futures through AI-assisted concept imagery, and created VR walkthroughs that allowed viewers to experience their interventions spatially. AI was approached as a catalyst for design thinking, helping students experiment quickly, reason visually, and communicate their ideas with greater clarity and inclusiveness.
The outcomes illustrated a progressive advancement in students’ capacity to integrate emerging technologies into design reasoning and representation. The groups produced immersive and well-reasoned proposals that illustrate the potential of AI to enrich representation and accelerate creative exploration, while still relying on the landscape architect’s ability to make thoughtful, responsible decisions.
At the end of the semester, their work was presented publicly at ILA Works, attracting engagement from fellow students, academic staff, and external visitors who were eager to discuss future roles for AI in the discipline. In addition to the physical exhibition, the outcomes were also made accessible through a digital platform allowing community groups and decision-makers to explore the proposed solutions interactively and to better understand the spatial qualities and social potentials of new open-space strategies for Porsgrunn.
The pilot has shown that bringing AI into the design studio introduces both complexity and opportunity. It demonstrated what becomes possible when students are encouraged to experiment with new ways of imagining and communicating landscapes. Their work sets the stage for further engagement and new research questions, while inviting colleagues and partners to join VR-Lab as we continue developing these approaches in future courses and collaborative initiatives.