Application of Immersive Technologies in Architectural Education for Timber Frame and Joint Design: A Critical Review

In recent years, a significant shift in design methods and modes in the architectural field has been witnessed since the emergence of immersive technologies. In this paper, we explore the integration of immersive technology in architectural design education, exploring how timber frame models and simulations of architectural joints can represent a platform for students’ enhanced learning experience.

Practical knowledge and hands-on experience are paramount when dealing with design explorations. Precedent studies have emphasised the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications in supporting the construction industry in different stages of developing a design proposal [1‐4]. Such studies reinforce the advantages of intuitive perception, efficient modelling and comprehensive understanding brought by the utilisation and integration of such immersive technologies in further applications in architectural design education [5‐7]. Subsequent paragraphs, however, are indented.

Nowadays, architecture educators have begun harnessing the potential of immersive technologies to provide students with fascinating and experiential learning journeys that extend beyond the current mainstream educational mode, which relies on interactive media, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and three-dimensional (3D) tools [8]. However, there are various immersive technologies, tools, and methods that integrate with one or more other digital technologies, such as visual coding, building information modelling (BIM), laser sca and digital photography [9]. This has to make educators and scholars think about the similarities and differences among these technologies, what advantages or disadvantages they will bring if one or more of them are adopted in architectural design and to what extent one or more of these technologies can improve the teaching and learning performance [10‐12]. Furthermore, sometimes only one or two of them are able to be utilised with the considerations of time, cost, applicability and other factors [13]. With the reflection on the current situation, this paper investigates the existing body of literature, technologies, and tools to address the following research question:

What are the most suitable immersive technologies, methods, and tools that can be applied in educational contexts to enhance students’ learning and teaching experience in the technological aspects of architecture, such as timber frames and joint design?

To address this question, we conduct a systematic and comparative review of relevant research articles obtained through a comprehensive search using specific keywords such as “timber frameworks”, “timber joints”, “immersive method/technique/tool”, “VR/AR”, and “architectural education.” Our search focuses on major digital and computer-aided design research databases, including CumInCAD, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The selection of papers is further refined based on their primary focus on architectural design, structural construction and educational methods employing immersive technologies.

This research aims to define the most suitable immersive technologies that can be applied in architectural design education, particularly for timber frame and joint design, through a critical review of contemporary literature that refer to immersive technological research and applications. This research will serve as a foundational investigation and contribute to a deeper exploration of integrating immersive technologies with other digital technologies for applications in architectural research domains and educational contexts.

The systematic and comparative review method (as shown in Fig. 1) for this research is divided into five stages as follows:

The review scope of this research is determined as the application of immersive and digital technologies in the AEC design and education field, which also includes the utilisation of timber as a building material. According to the determined scope, related conference proceedings, including ACADIA, ASCAAD, CAAD, ISARC and other international academic conferences from CuminCAD, and journals such as Automation in Construction, Construction and Building Materials, Structures, Buildings, Journal of Building Engineering, Building and Environment, Computers and Education, Informatics, Architecture and Planning Journal, Visualisation in Engineering from Scopus and ScienceDirect were searched by using keywords such as “timber frame”, “timber joint’, “timber structure”, “architectural design”, “immersive technology”, “VR/AR/MR”, “architectural education”, “digital technology”, “3D modelling” and “BIM” [14, 15].

The articles from the above academic database were filtered through two rounds to remove thesis and low-relevance articles. In the first round, eighty-seven articles were found by using a combination of keywords and specialised settings. These articles were filtered again by reviewing their abstracts. Eighteen articles were selected after the second round.

The selected eighteen articles include four conference papers and 14 journals. By refining the papers’ intentions and analysing their similarities and connections, the selected articles were categorised into three groups. Eight articles were categorised into Group One, which mainly focuses on the applications of immersive and digital technologies in AEC education. Seven articles were categorised into Group Two, which investigated the utilisations of immersive and digital technologies in timber-structured AEC design. 3 articles were categorised into Group Three that studied the applications of immersive and digital technologies in AEC industry for design, construction, or other purposes. The three groups and contained articles are shown in group categorisation, which indicates the type of publication, year, used technology, solution/method, and tool of each article.

In Group One, some research teams have explored the potentials of applying immersive and technologies [16‐20] into the teaching and learning process of architectural and construction design for a better understanding and experiential improvement. Jenek [21] and Yuval [22] have led their teams to investigate the performance of immersive technological applications in case studies of education respectively. Lin and Hsu [23] have investigated the possibility of integrating 3D modelling process with the immersive technologies to create a more efficient education environment for architectural design. Subsequent paragraphs, however, are indented.

The articles were selected and divided into three related groups, with the first group focusing on AEC education, exploring the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) and digital tools such as Revit, Enscape, and Oculus Rift’s in project scheduling and building design. [16‐23] The second group delved into wood-frame AEC design, employing BIM, VR, AR, and MR technologies to deliver innovative solutions such as game-like interactive platforms and virtual design tools like Revit and Unreal Engine.[24‐30]. The third group discussed immersive technologies in the AEC industry, demonstrating applications in collaborative design, design change methodologies, and performance-based building design with integrated tools such as Unreal Engine, Unity3D, and BIM systems [31‐33]. Overall, these articles emphasise the multifaceted use of immersive technologies in all aspects of AEC, from education to industry applications.

In Group Two, the research teams mainly focused on the applications of immersive technologies or other kinds of digital technologies in timber structural building design. Some of them developed innovative and intuitive solutions to test and design the timber frame and structure by using BIM or BIM-VR integration [24, 27]. Some teams used VR and 3D simulation to propose smart methods to solve the issue of complex timber structural design [25, 26]. Kim and his team focused on the utilisation of VR to measure thermal performance in the interior environment of a timber-structured building [28]. Kyaw and other scholars believed that the application of VR and QR code can help enhance the precision during the fabrication stage of timber beams [29]. In addition, some researchers also developed a system that can implement accurate and time-saving manufacturing process of timber structure after digital design and construction [30].

All the research teams in Group Three proposed the integration of immersive technologies with BIM for the planning and design of AEC projects. Ehab A. and Heath T. suggested exploring the potential of VR and BIM integration in urban environmental planning and design [32]. Panya and the team proposed a BIM-based VR and AR method to improve the work collaboration and efficiency during the building design stage [33]. Akın Ş., et al. utilised a BIM-CAD-VR design process to realise simulation and visualisation of building performance for a more efficient design in 2018.

The comparison of the immersive technologies, methods and tools that are proposed in the selected articles is conducted based on criteria as shown in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 1 shows the first criterion, which is the utilisation frequency of the immersive/digital technologies in five fields, including construction utilisation, timber structure, timber fabrication, architectural design, and architectural education. The utilisation frequency is defined as the number of times the technology is used in this research. It is found that VR has the highest total score which means it is the most widely used immersive technology in AEC industry and education. BIM has the second highest score and QR Code is the lowest in the ranking.

Table 2 shows the second criteria that is the learning complexity of the immersive/digital technologies. The learning complexity consists of learning period, visualisation and learning cost. Longer learning periods, lower visualisation and higher learning cost represent this technology is not simple and friendly to learners and highest score under these criteria.

The last criterion is the extendibility of the immersive/digital technologies. The extendibility includes integration prospects, tool diversity and interaction accuracy. The integration prospect is reflected in the times of integration mentioned in these selected articles. The tool diversity is based on the multiple choices of technical tools which serve in the current market. The data exchange and transformation accuracy between different technologies is defined as the interaction accuracy. Table 3 shows the comparison result from which it is found that BIM has the highest score which means its extendibility is the best. VR has the second highest score and QR Code is the worst in this ranking. It is reviewed that only two articles mentioned the utilisation of QR Code from the 87 articles in the first round. It needs further investigation to explore the reason of this situation.

Through the analysis and discussion based on criteria, the result indicates that VR is the most mature and promising immersive technology used in the current AEC industry. BIM is also the most active digital technology which is always mentioned with VR and other immersive technologies for integrated application in AEC projects. Some researchers have also proposed the integration methods of immersive technologies with BIM during the design and construction stages of timber-structured projects. As BIM is able to provide intuitive 3D visualisation, detailed geometric/semantic information, performance simulation and multi-disciplinary collaboration to meet the requirements of architectural data processing and modelling, its support can make a more realistic and vivid immersive environment which is created by VR. Because timber frame and joint design usually require accurate load analysis and aesthetic presentation, such integration of VR with BIM could make a significant contribution to improving the learning experience and understanding of timber structural design. It is a possible but not an absolute answer to this research question due to diverse education circumstances and multiple choices of technologies and tools. However, the outcome of this research determines an exploring direction for further studies, which need to be conducted in order to deepen the investigation of the learning and teaching efficiency by using immersive technologies with or without BIM in case studies of timber frame and joint design.