Date of Submission
Spring 5-7-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Robin Puttock
Secondary Advisor
Jeffrey Collins
Abstract
This research is about integrating the recent advancements in VR technology as a way to ‘playtest’ and design in architectural pedagogy. To better gauge the interest in VR and prove the need for VR integration, surveys were conducted among students and faculty within KSU’s College of Architecture and Construction Management (CACM).
A ‘site analysis’ was then conducted within surrounding firms in the greater Atlanta area, leading to precedent studies of local firms that use VR in their practice. By utilizing the firms advancements, this shed new light into how VR could be implemented into architectural pedagogy, and why it hasn’t been incorporated yet into the curriculum.
This then lead to an analysis of four architectural metrics: light, form, tectonics, and program. Each of these metrics were analyzed in VR through case studies that best exemplify their features. Upon doing so allowed for a more immersive and concise design approach, which explored new ways to collaborate and critique, and help obtain a better sense of scale within each space.
To compare the architectural design process between traditional pedagogy and VR tailored pedagogy, a research study was performed on a test group of 14 first year students implemented in the spring semester 2024 accelerated program. They performed a small scale design project where half utilized VR-centric design and the other half utilized traditional design. The students were critiqued based on the four metrics previously analyzed by qualified jurors, which revealed that the VR design group out-performed the traditional group by 20%, as well as getting twice as high of a score in the ‘program’ metric.
This research, performed within KSU’s College of Architecture and Construction Management, was utilized to propose a 2nd year Studio course centered around these findings. This comparative analysis on VR pedagogy versus traditional design justifies the need to move towards a more immersive construction industry.