Desineer: Experimental Space Production in VR Environment

Abstract

Architecture students and professionals had the opportunity to produce experimental spaces with the power of computer technologies, apart from traditional methods in space production. Technologies such as parametric design, Building Information Modelling (BIM), visual coding, and virtual reality hold new horizons for space production and the architecture itself. Despite all their potentials, they are still mainly used to support the design process or to present a project. The use of these tools is limited only to the effort to produce different and "impressive" forms based on aesthetic concerns. The study aims to examine the different possibilities of space production through digital space experiments. In this context, an experimental Virtual Reality (VR) application named “Desineer” was developed with Unreal game engine. The program has an easy interface where users can directly grab, drag, place and shape mesh objects. The Hands have played an important role in production throughout human history. Desineer eliminates the intermediary tools such as keyboard and mouse, with the help of VR technology, allowing the production of digital space directly by hands. By using the program, experiments were conducted on the manual production of digital space at Dumlupınar University Faculty of Architecture for students to gain new experiences. Within the scope of the study, first, discussions were held on space and the production of it for the students to develop their own ideas and perspectives, albeit fundamentally. Later, poems on different themes belonging to various poets were given to the students. The students read these poems and think about how the poems made them think and feel. Finally, the students produced improvised spaces based on these ideas and emotions using Desineer. It was observed that the workshop contributed students to the development of different perspectives on the production of space.

Keywords

• Virtual reality
• Space
• Production of space
• Digital space
• Production of digital space

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