September 2025

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 27 sep 2025

Just like in many other professional fields, technology is a catalyst of change, and architecture is not an exception. Technologies and processes such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), 3D Printing, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) etc are bringing this technology-driven shift in architectural practice. Architectural education is similarly going through the similar transformation to prepare students for this highly competitive technology oriented marketplace to find their place and space. Prof. Anand Achari, Principal at VES College of Architecture (VESCOA, Mumbai), explains his views on how immersive technologies such as VR and AR are changing the architectue education landscape and how the future architects would think, feel and create. He emphasises the need of adaptability and empathy as essential skills for design practice. He says, 'What excites me is the shift from imagination to immersion. In traditional architecture education, students relied heavily on drawings, physical models, and their ability to mentally visualise a space. AR and VR remove those limitations. Now, students can step inside their designs, exploring scale, proportions, and light in real time. That kind of spatial understanding, especially early in their journey, is transformative.' He further explains, 'These tools are blurring the old separation between form and function. In VR, you can feel how people might move through a space before it's even built...the biggest impact is empathy. AR and VR allow you to experience your design from different perspectives...leads to more inclusive, people-centred design...Architecture no longer exists in a silo. If you understand coding, you can develop your own simulation tools or responsive designs. Environmental science deepens your approach to sustainability...Behavioural psychology helps you design for how people feel in a space...The most innovative ideas often come from these cross-disciplinary conversations.' Read on...

The Hans India: How AR and VR are changing architecture education
Author: NA