Augmented Reality for Advancing Reflective Learning in Architectural Education: A Site-Specific Design-Build Approach

In architectural design education, the conceptual proposal for built environments is represented in small-scale physical or digital models. Design and build practice for small spaces, such as pavilions, is a great opportunity for students to understand spatial qualities, materials, and building constraints. Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly used for the real-scale fabrication and assembly of designed prototypes, as it allows designers to project their digital models onto physical environments. However, AR applications are mainly used in studio-based contexts; there are limited experiments on the AR pedagogical role in design when it is integrated into the practice of designing within a site-specific context. This study addresses this gap through a seven-day AR-assisted workshop with five undergraduate architecture students who designed and constructed a light shelter installation in a wooded site. This pilot study employed qualitative methods, including individual interviews and direct field observations. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, which was then triangulated with tutors' observations. The findings reveal that beyond AR capacity as a tool for real-scale visualisation of the design, when it is used on a specific site, it “talks back” to designers, allowing further decision making and action within the design process. Grounded in Donald Schön's model of learning and design, theoretical analysis employs the framework of reflection-in-action—design as a reflective conversation with the situation. Authors argued that using AR in real sites allowed students to experience a non-linear design process through “seeing-moving-seeing”, to negotiate design uncertainties within a site environment, and to reflect on their design for further developments. Future research directions include comparative studies across varied site typologies and extended longitudinal investigations.

Keywords— augmented reality, architectural education, design-build, reflection-in-action, site-specific