Congratulations to AUD students Nouriah AlKhulaifi and Dheyaa Dheyaa who became VR Sketch certified after completing the course DDFT 473 – “Virtual Environments” at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design. In the course, the students learned how to design an architectural project while they are inside virtual reality. Completing more than 50 hours inside VR, the theme of the project revolved around a commemorative space for the late Lebbeus Woods.

Dr. Georges Kachaamy, who is the director of the Center for Research, Innovation, and Design (CRID), a certified VR Sketch Trainer, and the professor of the course, said that designing inside virtual reality, not only will provide a unique edge to the students, but also make them VR Sketch certified and part of the next generation of architects and designers.

VR is becoming an essential tool for current and future designers as it allows the user to generate designs out of thin air using the virtual void as an unlimited canvas. While the same course is offered again in the Fall of 2021, it has already reached its full capacity and is on high demand.

When Dheyaa, a senior architecture student, finished the course, he expressed his enthusiasm by stating: “The ability to design the exterior and see how it affects the interior, then jump instantly into 1:1 scale to see how the users of the space would experience it, and all of this happening simultaneously, is nothing short of magic.” He continued by saying: “The design aspect empowered me to a point where I think something was unlocked in my brain.” Following his experience, the Dheyaa strongly believed that this is where the future of design lays and invites everyone to try and experience this tool.