It is always a pleasure to collaborate with Waldemar Jenek and fellow authors on his work using immersive technologies for delivering design education. We did two papers where one featured in the Journal of Design Studio and another was presented during MAB20.
Paper 1
Exploring Immersive Technology for Architecture that Empowers Marginalized People: An Australian Postgraduate Case Study in Design Education | Journal of Design Studio
This paper examines a case study part of an ongoing PhD research at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. The case study investigates how architecture students can employ media architecture design with real-time-render software tools to empower people without a permanent residence. As part of the assignment, students developed a media architecture structure during the semester to support people who are facing homelessness. The target participants of this study were master architecture students at the Queensland University of Technology. Students participated in an online survey and semi-structured interviews at the end of the semester to provide feedback about their learning experience during the master class. The data was analysed with thematic analysis. The study results explore the potential of technology to face the ongoing issues of homelessness. It opens the discussion of how media architecture can be utilised to target issues such as displacement and marginalization. The results allow to refine future studio education and endeavour how to employ real-time software in a studio context.
Citation
Jenek, Waldemar, Caldwell, Glenda, Donovan, Jared, Garcia Hansen, Veronica, Adcock, Matt, Xi, Mingze, & Gonsalves, Kavita (2021) Exploring Immersive Technology for Architecture that Empowers Marginalized People: An Australian Postgraduate Case Study in Design Education. Journal of Design Studio, 3(1), pp. 117-123.
Paper 2
Media Architecture in Architecture Studio Education capturing dynamics in the process: Exploring how architecture students design with virtual design environments tools
MAB 20 Paper Session 1 | 30 June 2021
The talk at 31.50
Virtual design environment tools such as virtual reality can refine the methods of existing Media Architecture design processes. Architecture has the potential to become dynamic and adapt rather than providing static characteristics. Media Architecture can be understood as materials or objects with dynamic properties, such as interactive sources of light or moving elements, which embody the physical space on an architectonic scale. In the higher education context virtual design environment tools are able to refine traditional teaching approaches while discovering new ways of design thinking and creating design solutions in architecture schools. These visual communication technology tools allow architects to engage more effectively with stakeholders to create a connection that goes beyond the planning process. This research focuses on the use of immersive technologies in the design of Media Architecture in architecture schools in Australia and Germany. Based on a literature review of architectural education, Media Architecture, and virtual design environment tools a recommendation for a design unit was proposed, implemented and evaluated in an architectural design studio setting. The most common approach in architectural education, how to learn to design, is a project-based approach called “design studio”. In a “design studio”, future architects explore ideas and concepts, create and evaluate alternatives, and decide and act. This research emphases on architecture students’ learning experience, who have been exposed to the emerging discipline of Media Architecture and the state-of-the-art technology approach to design Media Architecture with virtual reality. We conducted three case studies with advanced undergraduate architecture students in their third year and masters in Australia and Germany. Within these case studies, we developed educational content for designing Media Architecture while using virtual design environment tools in a higher education context. In order to motivate and evaluate students experiences in these scenarios Keller’s motivation design model ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) was utilized in the design studio context to design Media Architecture with virtual design environment tools. A response of the students to the new studio content and approaches in the educational environment was evaluated through surveys, interviews, and observations. We are in progress of reviewing the collected data at this stage. The results of the case studies will allow us to explore educational Media Architecture approaches further, such as simplifying content delivery and eliminating issues. The outcome of this study are preliminary recommendations for teaching architecture students the use of virtual design environment tools in the design process of Media Architecture.
Citation
Jenek, Waldemar, Caldwell, Glenda, Donovan, Jared, Garcia Hansen, Veronica, Adcock, Matt, Xi, Mingze, & Gonsalves, Kavita (2021) Media Architecture in Architecture Studio Education capturing dynamics in the process: Exploring how architecture students design with virtual design environments tools. In Proceedings of the Media Architecture Biennale 2021. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), United States of America. (In Press)