A Critical Assessment of an Extended Learning Environment in Interior Design Studio

Abstract

This paper presents a critical assessment of an interior design studio that was constructed face-to-face then online as an extended studio environment through spatial and technological means. In the Interior Design Studio III, students were expected to design an experiential retail store aiming at answering the contemporary customer and brand interactive experience. The concept of ‘interactive experience’ was central not only in terms of a project outcome but also of the studio process: an experiential learning environment is designed to enhance the understanding of the design studio. Within this scope, the collaboration with the maker lab of the university provided technological interfaces and analog model making methods while also expanding the limits of studio space. The interactive experience would not only result in the project outcome but also be integrated to the studio model. This studio model and the topic was conducted face-to-face in the campus three semesters consecutively, while the following two were held online. The study is based on exploratory research using qualitative techniques to analyze the design process of the students in the face-to-face and online experiential learning environment. The main objective is to overview and assess the interior design studio by providing a new perspective to the students about space and user relationship regarding interaction and atmosphere not only in terms of the given design problem but also the ‘environment’ they are experiencing the ways of design.

Examining Technology Adoption Trends in Studio-Based Learning

“…The interaction of the body with the built environment should be taken into account in a holistic manner, where experience is embodied on a multidimensional level, in order to produce a spatial experience that is both functionally and aesthetically integrated. (Ceylanli & Yanas, 2021) Gamification in learning is one of the perspectives in integrated metaverse that has been explored in education such as in architecture and city planning. Due to the nature of the building environment itself, it has been reported that the construction business has the third highest record of workplace accidents, (Mohd et al, 2019).…”