Program Details:
During Spring Semester 2024, graduate students in Advanced Design designed a community pool in Nablus, West Bank with CMU as the primary structural material.
Throughout the project, the architecture students collaborated with architectural students in Nablus in a structures class and with the University of Memphis structural engineering department.
The goal of the grant was to experiment with using virtual reality as a tool for communication about structural design.
Students experimented with multiple virtual reality programs for collaboration and most commonly chose TwinMotion or the VR tools within Revit and SketchUp. VR was an excellent “hook” to engage
engineering students and to break the ice between the disciplines but the actual collaboration took place using a myriad of methods and apps.
Outcomes of Project Objectives:
- Improve architecture students’ ability to develop a cohesive comprehensive project which integrates clear design concepts, effective building envelope, and a well- executed structural system
a. Student projects were approximately 30% improved from previous years in terms of clear structural design and level of structural details, and approximately 10% in the integration of clear design concepts. The integration of effective building envelope remained similar to previous years. - Increase students’ knowledge of design possibilities, sustainable strategies, structural properties, and detailing CMU structures
a. Student work showed a significant improvement in structural sophistication and students were much more willing to try new and different methods of approaching structural systems. This is attributed to the collaboration with other students which
gave them more confidence. - Connect small scale learning about materials through hands-on activities to whole building design through virtual modeling
a. The project began with hands-on training in the Midwest Block production facility in Bridgeton, MO. This led to a student increase in understanding of how to work with and detail CMU. The most surprising takeaway was that many of the students embraced the oversized blocks and incorporated them into their projects. Because they better understood the construction process and physical characteristics of the material, their renderings and walk-thrus better reflected the realities and potential of CMU. - Increase collaboration between architecture and structural engineering students
a. Collaboration between architectural and engineering students was one of the most important outcomes of this project. The students learned about the importance of working together as a design team and the benefits of working together. The use of Virtual Reality as a collaboration tool was an engaging element that got both disciplines excited to collaborate. - Demonstrate how virtual reality tools can be used to more effectively create dialog and understanding about structural systems
a. This project showed that the abilities of the collaboration tool are less important than a person’s comfort with and ability to use a tool. In collaborations with both architectural and structural students, the architecture students were most effective when they used a variety of communication tools which include virtual reality, 3D models, static drawings, sketches, and talking. - To more effectively communicate technical aspects of architectural design of CMU structures
a. This semester’s projects showed significantly more sophistication in their structural design, particularly with respect to connections between CMU and horizontal spanning elements. Students also demonstrated better understanding of lateral forces on CMU walls because of the collaboration.