Environmental Simulation Center – St. John Cathedral

This illustration shows snapshots of the ESC's Dynamic View-Shed Analysis™ of the Cathedral. The illuminated areas of the Cathedral correspond to what a pedestrian sees as he walks along the street. This sequence clearly shows that at any single point in time, the Cathedral is never seen as a whole; the perception of the whole is constructed cognitively through time and movement. This information is critical when trying to minimize the perceptual impacts of any alterations to the site.

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The Cathedral retained the Environmental Simulation Center to explore three inter-related objectives: the possibilities and constraints inherent in "completing" the Close with new buildings, including enhancing the public's experience of the Cathedral; the landmark designation of the Cathedral and the de-calendaring of potential development sites; and the communication of alternatives and proposals to the Cathedral, the public, and public agencies and officials.

A survey-based 3D model of the Cathedral and its context was constructed to support the design, simulation/visualization, and evaluation of the compete palette of development alternatives. In addition to being used for interactive presentations to stakeholders and the Landmark Preservation Commission, the 3D model was used to create a Dynamic View-Shed™ analysis that explains how the cathedral is seen (physically) and perceived (cognitively) by pedestrians as they move along the sidewalk, and for the formulation of performance-based urban design and volumetric parameters for the building program issued to various design/build teams.