Augmented Reality For Co-Design: The Perspective Of Real Estate Developers, Architectural Firms, And Public Administrations

Abstract

The paper focuses on the design and development of an Augmented Reality (AR) app for public participation in urban transformations. The focus of the paper is the first phase of the AR4CUP project, which was dedicated to interviewing relevant stakeholders, i.e. Real Estate Developers, Architectural Firms, Public Administrations. The goal was to explore the needs of potential customers of the app, identifying practical and conceptual issues useful to develop its functionalities. What emerged from the interviews to professionals is a diffuse concern about the effectiveness of AR apps currently on the market as design and representation tools. This distrust seems to be induced by two main issues: (i) low quality of AR representation; (ii) lack of the so-called "dream effect". Positive aspects of AR also emerged from the interviews, namely: (i) playful engagement of citizens directly on-site; (ii) simultaneous involvement of many citizens or other stakeholders. Those data informed the development of the app, that is not meant to function as a mere communication of the final design solution for marketing purposes, but is a means to anticipate the urban experience for design purposes.