麻豆原创 architecture students, city planners and other agencies have partnered to create the Orlando Virtual City, an interactive project using technology to help prepare for the future while preserving history for generations to come.

Electronic 3-D representations of downtown buildings will be combined with historical photographs, written and oral histories, cultural information and infrastructure images to create a rich repository of information.

鈥淭his project represents a unique experiment in integrating the preservation and display of cultural heritage with urban planning and facilities management,鈥� said Thomas McPeek, assistant professor of architecture at 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Visual Arts & Design. 鈥淚t will provide the public with a means of experiencing the life of the city across time 鈥� 鈥榣ooking over the shoulders鈥� of the city鈥檚 planners and managers.鈥�

Both the city and 麻豆原创 started working on independent projects to achieve similar architectural goals before they discovered that their paths crossed about a year ago. They then teamed up to develop the city鈥檚 virtual world through 3-D technology.

The project gained international exposure this week when several of McPeek鈥檚 undergraduate research students presented their progress at a conference in Orlando before about 300 professionals from around the world that create and work with three-dimensional data.

Yuly Mojocoa, Diana Ariza, Trevor Stephens, Terrance Perdue, Massey Brooks, Natalia Savorotca and Lucas Najle discussed the team鈥檚 work during the FARO 3-D Documentation Conference. FARO develops products that create 3D representations.

鈥淲e would like to have a virtual representation of the city to be used for planning purposes for everything across the board: infrastructure, street drainage, fire rescue, police training,鈥� said Holly Stenger, a city project manager and architect. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a planning tool.鈥� The images also could be used to refurbish buildings if they are damaged by a hurricane, fire or some other disaster.

鈥淔irst responders would have access and would benefit,鈥� Stenger said. 鈥淧art of what we envision is to locate an incident and see what and where it is, and how to respond.鈥�

The exteriors of about 75 downtown buildings so far have been modeled to create virtual 3-D images, and some have been supplemented with interior images made by laser scanners. Examples of the early models include the 29,000-square-foot Orlando Public Library, the Sligh Boulevard train station, and Howard Middle School, which at one time served as Orlando High School. The images will be able to be viewed from all angles on a computer screen.聽聽

This semester, the project turned its focus on the Church Street tourist and commercial area, and its nearby Interstate 4 overpass; next on the agenda is the landscape along Orange Avenue.

鈥淏efore I came here I had some preconceived notions of what Orlando was, and most of them were about Disney and theme parks,鈥� McPeek said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize what a wonderfully historical and cultural city it is.鈥�

Najle, a 麻豆原创 junior working on the project and a graduate of Winter Park High School, said metropolitan Orlando has changed dramatically just since he was a young boy, and that this project 鈥渋s a really great way to preserve the way Orlando is now. This is a new take on how you can go about preserving historical buildings.鈥�

Stenger said Orlando鈥檚 urban-design objectives call for 3-D modeling, and the city is among the pioneering few to tackle the concept.

鈥淟os Angeles and Disney and Universal have similar models for their use,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are kind of a hub with the digital and gaming industry, and we have the talent and information to pull it all together.鈥�

Najle said it is exciting to be on the front edge of the new applications.

鈥淎 couple cities in Europe have virtual cities and we鈥檙e bringing that technology here,鈥� he said.

Najle said that working on the project has already helped give him some insights that will benefit him as a professional architect.

鈥淭his really connects me to the building process,鈥� he said.

The project is still in its data-acquisition stage and no specific date has been set to post all the collected images and cultural information online.

In addition to the City of Orlando, the project鈥檚 partners also include FARO, the Orlando chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the 麻豆原创 Synthetic Reality Lab.

聽鈥淭his is something that we will continue to add to,鈥� McPeek said. 鈥淚t will be an ongoing repository.鈥�

The students were enrolled in the third Architectural Design 6 course, which studies urban design and civic architecture. Their projects stemmed from a partnership between 麻豆原创 and the City of Orlando Fire Department.

鈥淲e decided that a fire station offered an appropriate level of complexity for students at this level of development,鈥� said Thomas McPeek, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Visual Arts and Design.

The students presented their designs to local architects and firefighters as part of a larger project to learn about the role that civic architecture plays in the community. Their designs could possibly be used in future construction.

The project began with studying award-winning fire stations. The students also took extensive tours of two stations in Orlando, where they learned about the mechanics of a station from the firefighters who use them.

Students were given full access to the facilities, allowing them to gain an understanding of the complicated elements needed for the project, especially in the areas of security, efficiency and acoustics.

鈥淎 fire station represents a very unique building typology that combines commercial and residential architecture,鈥� McPeek explained.

麻豆原创 offers a Bachelor of Design in Architecture degree in collaboration with Valencia Community College and the University of Florida. The flexible and affordable 2+2+2 program allows students to earn their associate鈥檚 degree from Valencia, bachelor鈥檚 degree from 麻豆原创 and master鈥檚 degree from UF鈥檚 Citylab-Orlando at 麻豆原创鈥檚 downtown Center for Emerging Media.

To learn more about the collaborative Architecture program, visit its .