3D modelling in landscape practice in New Zealand

The profession of landscape architecture has undergone significant change over the last 40 years, both internationally and locally. The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZLIA) is keen to establish a profile of landscape architecture in New Zealand and enable them to track changes over time as the profession continues to develop. The Institute conducted an online survey of members in Oct 2012 to develop such a profile, using a web-based system developed by Qualtrics, an international survey software company. The survey was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Lincoln University and an invitation to participate in the research was sent out to 422 eligible members of the NZLIA. A majority of those (53.6%) followed the invitation to participate and opened the questionnarie but a slightly smaller number (47.9%) actually responded with answers; this was still sufficient for the Institute to establish a current profile of the profession of landscape architecture in New Zealand. This article provides a glimpse into one aspect of that profile, looking at the use of 3D modelling software in landscape practice in New Zealand