An Architectural Learning Environment

André Brown1, Mike Knight2, Martin Winchester

School of Architecture, The University of Liverpool, UK.
http://www.liv.ac.uk/abe/caadru
1 
andygpb@liverpool.ac.uk, 2 m.w.knight@liverpool.ac.uk

This paper contributes to the discussion on Virtual Learning Environments,

particularly those aimed at the study of Architecture and allied or parallel
disciplines. The campus at the University of Liverpool has been modeled and
from this an interactive environment has been created that replicates the actual
built form and landscape of the actual campus. We reflect on the appropriateness
of such environments, compared to more conventional web based techniques for
the delivery of educational information.

Keywords: Virtual learning environment; virtual campus; virtual environment.

Introduction al.2001, and Brown et al., 2002). The environment

There has been debate about the issue of space ver-
sus place in the context of interactive learning en-
vironments (for instance in Maher and Clark, 2005;
Kalay et al. 2004). The nature of the environment that
best facilitates information exchange and learning
is still the source of debate, and an interesting area
for development, particularly in the context of the
particular needs of architectural education (Schön,
1987). A number of consequential issues arise. Given
the nature of the discipline should the virtual repre-
sentation of a learning environment embody three
dimensional spatial representations? What is the
value and importance of representing ‘place’ in such
environments?
Some previous work
In previous studies we have looked at some of the
issues raised by the desire to create effective virtual
environments for architectural education (Brown et
reported here represents a significant advancement
on the work described in the two papers above.
In addition other researchers have looked at is-
sues Maher and Clark (2003) have studied such in-
teractive learning environments in the context of
3D Virtual Worlds that are accessible globally over
the Internet, specifically Active Worlds. Such envi-
ronments are being used by users from a variety of
disciplines and in a variety of cultural contexts. Kalay
et al. (2004) have considered such environments and
have studied and developed environments that both
make a representation recognisable as a replication
of the real world, and one that takes a semi-abstract
form representative of the field of study. Holmgren
et al. (2004) showed how a community space for in-
teraction and exchange of information can be cre-
ated with this kind of environment.
In the work presented here we describe a Virtual
Learning Environment that has been constructed
from a 3D model of the learning environment that
the students are familiar with, their own school of

Session 14: Virtual Environments - eCAADe 25 671


architecture and the surrounding University campus.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the typical kind of represen-
tation that has been created for the Virtual Liverpool
University Campus.
The learning environment that has been cre-
ated has portals that link it to web sites, and other
visual and audio information in digital format. Figure
2, for instance, shows how lectures can be accessed
as digital movies once the user has navigated to the
lecture theatre. Figure 1 shows a recognisable rep-
resentation of the entrance hall with digital notice
boards that can become portals to web sites with
further information.
Creating the environment
We describe here, how this customised virtual
environment was created, using games engine
672 eCAADe 25 - Session 14: Virtual Environments
Figure 1
View showing interior of
school of Architecture as
represented
Figure 2
Representation of the lecture
theatre
technology. The environment is modeled as a 3D
representation, and our intention is to compare this
3D representation with the more conventional 2D
representation offered by a more conventional web
site Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). In act we
could consider the conventional web site to be 2.5
or 3D, as interaction allows the user to access other
virtual layers of information. In the same way our en-
vironment could be considered as 4D, since from the
3D environment parallel layers of information (such
as conventional web sites) can be accessed via the
portals
As shown in figure 2, and in later figures, from
the environment the portals are accessed by click-
ing on part of the 3D model. In the case of figure 2
the portal is accessed by clicking on the screen, and
this activates a digital video. In other cases, as men-
tioned, web sites can be accessed.
Figure 3
School of Architecture, upper
level 3D model internal and
external
 The first part of the process in creating the 3D
virtual learning environment was to create a conven-
tional 3D model of the buildings and spaces to be
represented (figure 3).
What is important in creating the model is to
recognise that when imported into the 3D environ-
ment non planar surfaces become memory hungry,
so the model has to be created judiciously. In this
case, surfaces that will never be seen from the eye-
heights used to perambulate around the model are
excluded.
Once imported into the games ‘world’ various ef-
fects, lighting and rendering can be controlled (see
lower window of figure 4).
Figure 4
The model in the 3D interac-
tive ‘world’
In the illustration in figure 4 in the upper part of
the panel a piece of design work has been applied to
the wall of the virtual design studio. This can now be
made into an active link. For instance, in this case click-
ing on the design representation on the wall opens a
web site describing the whole design project.
In order to do this in the games environment, a
‘trigger’ must be set, and the lower part of the panel
in figure 4 shows the model construction map being
set to build in that trigger. It is clear from the illustra-
tion that the logic and techniques used to render the
model and accomplish effects such as setting a trigger
to open a portal are very different to the techniques
used in conventional architectural modelling.
Session 14: Virtual Environments - eCAADe 25 673

In addition as mentioned above, file size is cru-
cially important in establishing a virtual environ-
ment that is responsive in real time. One technique
used to keep file sizes as small as possible was to
create external views as stage sets. Thus views out
tmade up of a set of screens mounted on a plan of
the surrounding area. The screen were chosen only
to show those parts of the external environment
that could be seen, and being two dimensional, with
a simple surface texture, were very efficient in terms
of memory requirements.
674 eCAADe 25 - Session 14: Virtual Environments
Figure 5
External views as 2d screens;
left setting a screen, right the
full array of screens
Figure 5 shows the array of screens used and the
placing of the ‘stage set’ screen for one of the domi-
nant external features, the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Figure 6 shows the effect created by the technique.
With the Learning Environment constructed it
will now be possible to undertake a comparison of
the effectiveness of the environment compared to
the University’s conventional web-based learning
environment, which uses ‘Blackboard’ as it’s engine.
The Second Life environment will also be investigat-
ed as a comparator.
Figure 6
A view outside showing the
effectiveness of the ‘stage set’
screen technique
Closing remarks
A core issue that the work described raises is wheth-
er having a recognisable representation of a familiar
environment makes navigation and comprehension
of the location of information easier, so that access to
richer sources of information can be more easily lo-
cated and accessed. Study of the environment in the
coming year should help establish the effectiveness.
The second point th at the paper makes is to il-
lustrate that is it possible to build such environments
for remote and multi-user access from scratch rather
than building with a set of predefined components
as in environments such as Active Worlds. It seems
to us particularly appropriate to do this for an archi-
tectural learning environment. The building blocks
approach offered by environments such as Active
World and Second life limit the potential to create
environments that are more appealing and design-
erly. They do though, suffer from the limitations of vi-
sual appearance that games engine representations
are constrained by, in order for the graphical tricks
used in such environments, to work.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the work of students at
the University of Liverpool who have contributed
significantly to this project, and in particular those
who have contributed to work represented here;
Kier Alexander, James Christian, Chris Cox and James
Humphrey.
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