Testing "What-if" Scenarios
Constructing the existing conditions model is the first step, however one of the main purposes of the Visual Laboratory is to test proposals and "what-if" scenarios. These alternatives must also be translated into three-dimensional forms. Architectural elevation drawings may be reduced to the proper scale on a photocopier, then pasted onto illustration board, and colored with marking pens. Generic building types may be produced from photographs of buildings located elsewhere or by computer. Scale automobiles, trucks, and human figures are available from architectural suppliers. These could also be photographed and cutout as silhouettes. Signs and utility poles add an important degree of realism and depth. Roads and parking lots may be laid down with construction paper or painted illustration board.
Costs and Time Estimates
The major portion of the materials cost to produce a visual laboratory model is for photography expenses. Site documentation for a simple site may require 10 to 20 rolls of print film and 5 to 10 rolls of slide film. For the scale-rectified photographs used for the building facades, and each building may average about a half roll of print film. Duplicate "generic" buildings may be constructed from multiple reprints. The base and backdrop materials, including foam, plaster, paint, clay, flocking, model autos, muslin, et cetera, may cost between several hundred and several thousand dollars for each model. The basic photography equipment, including a 35 mm SLR camera, 28 mm perspective-control lens, 50mm macro lens, tripod, and studio lights could cost several thousand dollars.
Based on our experience with the several test cases, the following list summarizes the time necessary to develop a visual laboratory for a site, assuming a team of two persons: