The “R” of VR for the Architecture Profession—and Students & Schools!

In the recently launched second season of By Design, Graphisoft takes a candid look at how technology is transforming the present and future of architecture. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology so transformative, firms like KA Designworks (KA) built its own in-house development team to explore how such nascent technologies could be paired with 3D BIM design environments.

Starting with the use of immersive VR to collaborate with clients at the design stage, KA is now taking their tech to project sites to better inform construction. In parallel, the firm has even joined with gaming developers to create highly detailed and interactive VR experiences for spec home clients, opening an entirely new business model in the process!

But what does this mean about VR for architecture students and schools?

Though virtual reality may still seem new, KA Designworks is only one example of how rapidly VR is taking off (along with augmented reality and artificial intelligence). There are new hardware devices and software apps popping up seemingly every day. And, as is evidenced from KA’s experience, even VR gaming developers may have a place in architectural firms. This should all be very exciting for today’s architecture and design students!

In fact, we surveyed architecture students from 45+ schools across North America, and the most interesting finding is that only 10% of the architecture students surveyed report having access to VR as part of their school’s course offerings, while nearly 90% of these same students think virtual reality should be available in the curriculum.

This could be an important statistic to note for schools struggling to be competitive in attracting architecture and design students to their colleges and institutions. Check out the infographic below to get more of our recent student survey results!

Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about GRAPHISOFT BIM solutions for students, teachers, and schools!