Implementing a landscape information modelling (LIM) tool for planning leisure facilities and landscape protection.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is growing in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry. With the new strategy to mandate BIM, there is a need to identify its importance in architectural landscape design. It has the potential to challenge some of the limitations of designing, constructing and managing the built environment. Using BIM tools and applications, landscape analysis can be explored, developed and documented for design, planning and organization as well. This application, known as Landscape Information Modelling (LIM), may store object information such as: irrigation pipelines; areas allocated to specific plants; list of different plants involved in landscape projects; etc. Annotations used in landscape drawings would be accompanied by information attached to it. In this paper, a first application of LIM aimed to landscape protection has been implemented, so as to help in planning leisure facilities. Indeed, with many details involved, it can also be used to store data for landscape architects, who would easily develop and organize detailed information. Hence, with the ability for simulation and visualization, they should be able to produce detailed plans, walk-through animations and renderings for presentation, while exploring the scope and nature of work and making informed decision at early design stages.