Developing an Integrated VR Infrastructure in Architectural Design Education

Abstract

With the advent of computer technology, Virtual Reality (VR) became an integral part of design studios in architecture education. Researchers have been exploring how VR-enhanced design studios can be assessed from a student-centered perspective. This paper illustrates the role of teaching architectural design for developing a novel and contextual curriculum based on an analysis of student feedback. The background focuses on the development of VR-based architectural design education. The methodology frames two digital design ecosystems which are experimented in four undergraduate courses. With an ecosystem-based approach discussed in this paper, a medium-oriented and a content-oriented curriculum are offered for testing students' reaction to teaching design in VR. In both ecosystems, students are engaged with advanced digital design methods and techniques, which include 3D form-finding, building information modeling, visual programming, coding, and real-time rendering. The study screens the usage of software solutions for the creation of complex virtual environments, covering Blender, Rhinoceros, Unity, Grasshopper, and Revit. The implementation of a User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) comparatively demonstrates the performative qualities of both digital design ecosystems. Results indicate that the intensity of interaction varied in two incomparable, but connate, levels of qualities. The findings suggest that the perspicuity aspects of student interaction bare the risk of "complicated" and "confusing" software. The results further demonstrate a conflict between task-related qualities and non-task related qualities. Additionally, interacting with VR tools in architecture design education is found attractive, stimulating, and original despite low scores on the pragmatic qualities of perspicuity, efficiency, and dependability. The data and results obtained from this study give insight into the planning of design studios in architecture education based on the use of VR and digital methods. Therefore, this study contributes to future research in the contextualization of the design teaching efforts.

Navigation Tasks in Desktop VR Environments to Improve the Spatial Orientation Skill of Building Engineers

“…As part of this adaptation, new technologies and teaching methodologies in building engineering have to be identified [2]. In this context, authors such as Aydin and Aktaş [5] highlight the great impact that the pandemic has had on building engineering studies and promote working with infrastructures for the teaching of building engineering based on virtual reality technologies. The use of VR is also affected by the pandemic in teaching environments, as teaching is carried out online or in adapted face-to-face scenarios with significant preventive security measures that restrict contact, in which the use of HMD is curtailed because of the risk of contagion.…”

“…Virtual reality facilitates the creation of interactive virtual environments (IVEs) for professional training and architecture education, urban and landscape planning, and interior design. Recent research highlighted that VR has become an integral part of design studios in building engineering [5]. Authors such as Brandão et al [1] affirm that "the insertion of contents that support the student formation related to new technologies is an important step towards the qualification of future architects to new design tendencies".…”

“…However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in teaching strategies and technologies [2,5]. Specifically, in the field of virtual reality, the use of VR immersive techniques such as head-mounted displays (HMD-VR) in teaching tasks is limited by the possibility of contagion, and VR desktop environments can be used as a viable alternative.…”

BIM Visual Programming Tools Applications in Infrastructure Projects: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…Technical University of Munich Germany [102] Mardin Article University Turkey [108] University College Cork Ireland [96] University of Naples Federico II Federico Italy [97] The data in Table 4 show that the contributions made by institution type of the reviewed publications are higher education institutions with 48.28% (14 publications), public entities with 6.89% (2 papers), and companies 44.83% (13 publications). These results show the academic-public sector has led the research effort of VP tool applications in infrastructure projects (55.17%).…”

Transitioning Architectural Pedagogy Into the Virtual Era via Digital Learning Methods

“…Additional avenues of expansion of digital fluency involve the inclusion of extended realities mainly virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), into architectural teaching. The integration of these technologies into digital learning provides students with enhanced virtual opportunities and experiences, both for the learning of lecture-based content and for design work (Ahmad et al, 2020;Aydin & Aktaş, 2020;Estrina et al, 2021;Hui et al, 2020). To aid student comprehension of spatial relationships, which proved to be a deficiency in virtual education, real-time rendering software visualization using extended realities were able to mitigate this gap (Ceylan et al, 2020;Estrina et al, 2021;Hui et al, 2020).…”