Virtual Reality as a Design Tool to Achieve Abstract Concepts of Spatial Experience: A Case Study of Design Studio Teaching

Abstract

VR technology is one of the tools used to achieve accurate physical space dimensions and placement of furnishings. The architectural space must evoke subjective emotions that would inevitably lead the users to perceive it as a location and, consequently, become a potentially significant space. However, a particular space experience has yet to be attained. Quantifying abstract conceptual ideas is more difficult in design education. This paper aims to prove the usability of VR as an effective design tool and an educational method to achieve a better understanding of a proposed design and successfully reach the desired outcome, especially regarding the abstract properties of the space. The paper describes a workflow of how the students would use the technology to revise and enhance their design proposal based on the experienced VR environment. A project was offered to the students; they were expected to tackle and solve problems about symbolism in their designs. Spatial experience is a crucial study element of the project. Students were asked to design an entire structure that could evoke certain feelings. The exercise left it to the students to choose an abstract value, meaning, or feeling to explore as architecture. A pre-compiled list included: Anti-gravity, Time travel, and Tranquility; through iteration between drawing boards, 3D modeling, and VR experience, they fine-tune their designs to achieve a pre-set quality. In conclusion, the VR technology was proved helpful and led to a tangible change in the proposed design based on the feedback from the workflow.