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.
Highlights
Virtual Reality (VR) has made profound impacts on architectural design education
The breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic proved the importance of research on self-learning in higher education, design-related courses once conducted face-to-face
In addition to that researches on collaboration over the internet which is online education in design-related courses like Virtual Design Courses (VDSs) is the topic the CAD conferences as well as the results of this study addresses that
Summary
Virtual Reality (VR) has made profound impacts on architectural design education. Despite the widespread use of VR applications in architectural design, teaching in VR confront the issues of integration with the curriculum and of qualification standards, which vary between architecture programs taught in different countries. Extra-curricular activities, such as workshops and online tutorials, provide supplementary learning environments, whereas many architecture schools have to face the challenge to change their curricula which have been persistently applied for years. Lack of competent staff, who are qualified to teach design in VR, may count one of the causes for the endurance of conventional teaching environments. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected architecture studies greatly, it is realized how important creating an infrastructure for teaching architectural design in VR
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