This timeline describes key dates in computing research, teaching and the development of the Centre for Landscape Research.
2002 - The CLR is reconfigured.
2001 - Final Bachelor of Landscape Architecture class graduates.
2000 - First year of the Master of Landscape Architecture programme.
1998 - Stephen Bohus works with Danahy and Fife to bring back virtual reality and planting design exercises to the studio curriculum. Work for the University on a real-time virtual reality model of the Campus begins. Bohus, Wright, Danahy and Hoinkes continue work on a variety of initiatives with the CAAT lab of the UofT Library on VRML, digital library and image archives.
1997 - Danahy resumes role as Director of CLR. Stephen Bohus rejoins CLR as a programmer and begins work on completing Polytrim with Rodney Hoinkes. Work continues on TRAIL, EVNET, and virtual design studio teaching with the University of Melbourne begins. Rodney Hoinkes donates Poetic Dimensions software to CLR.
1996 - Robert Wright secures SSHRC funding for -EVNET Centre of Excellence-Virtual Design Studio and donation from Bell Canada - Onyx Computer donation to University Library $600,000. Wright, Danahy, and Hoinkes secure funding for TRIAL digital Atlas project with the University Library. Danahy collaborates with Photogrammetry Department at ETH and is a guest professor at the Institute of National, Regional and Local Planning, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). CLR and teaching programme losses Rodney Hoinkes and Stacey Spegel when search suspended and adjunct faculty positions cut from Programme. Rodney Hoinkes and Stacey Spegil form Immersion Studios Inc.
1995 - Rob Wright becomes Acting director (1995-96). Danahy on 6-month research leave including work at ETH-ORL 95/96. He and Shannon McKenzie develop an exhibition for the Canadian Centre for Architecture, CCA on Frank Lloyd Wright. Collaboration with the McLuhan Programme/Bell Canada secures access to a $600,000 Onyx computer. Rodney Hoinkes assists Bath University in using Polytrim. Danahy arranges for student use of ITDC Silicon Graphics computer lab in teaching. PolyTRIM is used by Rodney Hoinkes in first, second and third year studio exercises. Danahy offers the first virtual design studio with ETH as an Architecture Option Studio. Rodney Hoinkes and Stacey Spegel begin collaboration on "Crossings" and Oasis exhibitions.
1994 - CLRMosaic and SDML are developed by Rodney Hoinkes. Hoinkes begins Doctoral research on knowledge mapping. John Danahy conducts collaboration with Ontario Science Centre and continues urban design studies for the National Capital commission. Ed Fife continues work with Metro Toronto.
1993 - Version II release of CLRview and CLRpaint software packages is made to over 1200 different users over the Internet raging from NASA to Texaco to Stanford University. Rob Wright begins work on knowledge mapping.
1992 - Ed Fife and Richard Joos begin the Heritage Forest Project, Vegetative Study, for Metro Toronto Transportation Department. Exchange and workshops in GIS visualization begin with landscape architecture departments at the GSD Harvard, Univ. of Melbourne, ORL Institute ETH Zurich. Wright and Hoinkes publish "Sun Easements to Parks: implications for planning and zoning, Toronto's Central Area".
1991 - John Danahy assumes role as Director of CLR. CLR, secures $180,000 in funding from Silicon Graphics for the SAVE project which leads to the development. Collaboration with over 30 universities using CLR technology around the world; Development of the CLRview and CLRpaint software packages is begun (R. Hoinkes, & Stephen Bohus & S. McKenzie). Collaboration with Harvard and MIT, Harvard, Ohio State, U Mass., Montreal, Manitoba, Strathclyde, Zurich, & UCLA, ETH Zurich begins. "Opening the Gates" Exhibition is completed for the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
1990 - CLR begins the development of the PolyTRIM Polygon Toolkit for Representation Interaction & Modeling testbed research system (R. Hoinkes, & Stephen Bohus & S. McKenzie). Splash: Paint Programme for Silicon Graphics Systems is begun by Stephen Bohus. A major professional commission for the NCC and City of Ottawa is begun on the View Protection and Height Control Bylaw for Ottawa. Ed Fife, Rodney Hoinkes and Shannon McKenzie develop and integrate the Grover Plant Selection programme with Polytrim.
1989 - CLR is formally constituted as a centre to foster and promote faculty research. Ed Fife is appointed Director. CLR begins sharing software with other research universities: Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Univ. of Mass., and Strathclyde. Basic research in an object oriented CAD system begins with Trims: Toolkit for Representation, Interaction Modelling & Simulation (R. Hoinkes, & Stephen Bohus & S. McKenzie). The first of a series of exhibitions for the Canadian Centre for Architecture begins with Architecture and Its Image.
1988 - John Danahy and Rob Wright begin a continuing series of professional commissions between the programme and government agencies and cities to employ real-time 3D visualization of landscape architecture in decision-making (continuing to present). Three software packages are developed: ViSiT: real-time shaded surface rendering package, Trim: Toolkit for Representation, Interaction & Modelling and Polyed: Specialized Polygon Modelling - Shannon McKenzie (input from Stephen Ginesberg).
1987 - while on sabbatical, John Danahy wins $248,000 in the University Research Incentive Fund competition to complete the computing laboratory and hire programmers to begin development of custom software for landscape architecture research and practice. Display, a real-time wireframe polygon walk-through software package is developed (Shannon McKenzie). TUMMS constraint based demonstration software is developed.
1986 - with assistance from Ron Baecker in Computer Science, John Danahy secures corporate funding from Jim Clarke of Silicon Graphics and Alias Research ($270,000) to establish a high-end design simulation laboratory. Work begins with duToit Allsopp Hillier and the National Capital Commission on the Ceremonial Routes and Parliamentary Precinct projects. Danahy begins the first studio problems using computers for design scale development and urban design. William Rock Dies and Ed Fife take over as Chairman. Robert Wright joins the full-time faculty. Danahy begins AutoLISP software development effort with Customized landscape architecture tools for planting design and terrain functions (Stephen Ginsberg). UNIX software tools written in C are developed for a wide variety of polygon modelling and data translation programmes (Shannon McKenzie).
1985 - Landscape Architecture losses Madis Pilak and Fidenzio Salvatori from the Department. Opportunities to teach landscape planning exercises with computing are lost.
1984 - After the departure of Mark Lindhult to the University of Mass., John Danahy shifts his research emphasis to computing. He secures $15,000 in seed funding to the study of advanced visualization techniques with the assistance of Alain Fournier in the Dynamic Graphics Project of the Computer Systems Research Institute. Danahy begins the first of a series of specialized courses in visualization. Lindhult's departure marks a significant loss of computing expertise in the technology stream of the curriculum that will never be replaced.
1983 - Mark Lindhult and Shannon McKenzie develop the first visualization software package created at the Department of Landscape Architecture. John Danahy incorporates these tools in the Site Planning electives.
1982 - Marl Lindhult secures $24,000 to begin development of visualization software for landscape architects.
1981 - Fidenzio Salvatori, William Rock and John Danahy continue the use of IMGRID in studio teaching.
1980 - William Rock Jr (Chair) secures funding for a computing faculty member and two Apple II computers. Mark Lindhult is hired to teach technology, computing and studio. Ed Fife and Peter Trowbridge (Cornell) use LUIRS IMGRID for landscape planning exercises in studio.
1979 - Ed Fife secures $10,000/yr budget for mainframe computing.
1978 - Ed Fife secures $15,000 funding and begins software development of a plant selection programme.