Strategies for the Utilization of Virtual Reality Technologies in the First Year of Architectural Education

Abstract

The first year of architectural education is a crucial period in which students get introduced to the ambiguous nature of architecture and build the foundations of their professional career. It has a dense structure, theoretical and technical courses gathered around the design studio which is the core of architectural education. Its dynamic and flexible nature makes architectural education open for innovations and the implementation of emerging technologies. Accordingly, digital technologies that have a strong relationship with the profession of architecture, also have firm effects on architectural education. Even though it is not common among architectural education institutions around the globe, emerging digital technologies may have a role in the first year of architectural curriculum. One of the digital technologies that can be utilized in the first year of architectural education in virtual reality technologies as they provide an additional medium for experiencing architectural products and alternative methods for designing them. This paper investigates the necessity and potential benefits ofVRtechnologies in the first year of architectural education. Based on a case study conducted among freshman students, the VR technologies prove themselves useful. The paper also presents various methods and strategies, and their potential benefits for the implementation of VR technologies into the different domains of first year architectural curriculum.