Utilizing Virtual Reality to Support Teaching the Design Principles of the Life-Safety System

The design studio is a fundamental component of architectural education, providing students with a platform to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical studio projects. Designing fire safety is mainly required to make significant architectural spatial adjustments to meet the safety standards. The current learning method of passive fire protection system design is primarily theoretical. Recent advancements in immersive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), have made it more accessible and adaptable for integration into the architectural learning process. This research explored the potential of using VR to enhance the understanding of the core design principles of passive fire protection systems among architecture students. Using Sketch-Up and Enscape Walkthrough Render, passive fire protection design was identified with second-year architecture students with a case study of low-rise buildings with pre-test and post-test methods to identify trends in the changing levels of understanding. The results showed that VR complemented the traditional use of engineered drawings and aided in comprehending life-safety system design principles. It was perceived as an exciting visualization medium and positively contributed to the ease of learning. However, the implementation of VR in architectural education presented challenges, such as dizziness for first-time users and the limited availability of compatible devices.