Abstract
Architectural pedagogy weighs the balance of design and conceptual thinking with technical and digital knowledge, using one facet to leverage the other. The ideal architectural education provides students with both a grounded understanding of human-centered design and the technical assemblage of architectural elements. Lacking the time and resources to engage students with full scale construction methodologies, many architectural institutions turn to design build projects and scale models to expose students to design and construction processes. While these physical explorations have proven to be very effective, the transition to virtual curricula amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the projection of an increasingly digitized future of education makes these initiatives challenging. Instead, educators have gradually begun to turn to emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), to supplement remote educational architectural modelling. By capitalizing on the capabilities of VR, students can meaningfully interact with their design work and leverage virtual space as a host for architectural inquiry. This paper presents the applications of VR as a means to engage with architectural precedents, a design tool to conceptualize space, and an instrument to explore architectural assemblies. By leveraging these digital toolsets students can gain boundless ownership over digital spaces, allowing them to engage with design elements more freely at the human scale. This is examined through the lens of numerous case studies in Canada’s largest architecture program. This paper concludes the significance of implementing a variety of digital tools and methodologies within design pedagogy to provide students with more agency in their design work.
Presenters
Tatiana EstrinaStudent, Bachelor of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada Liane Werdina
Research Assistant, Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada Alvin Huang
Research Assistant, Ryerson University, Canada Vincent Hui
Associate Chair, Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Virtual Reality, Architectural Pedagogy, Virtual Space, Digital Design Builds
