Xr In Architecture Education: Enhancing The Designer Cognitive Ecology

This paper describes the development of an Extended Reality Learning Environment (XRLE) for architecture students. The XRLE aims to improve students' perception of space through an interactive and immersive sensory exploration in a virtual environment. Spatial perception implies a combination of our senses interpreting our surroundings. This research is based on spatial perception, design process, multisensory XR, and cognitive ecology as part of the DIREXLab project's first phase. It follows a three-stage method: 1) Create (XRLE) with the foundational three-dimensional elements and design operations. 2) Implement the XRLE. 3) Evaluate the XRLE impact on the designer's understanding of space. This paper presents the results for stage one. XRLE is an interactive learning environment designed to develop spatial skills, identify essential design elements, and enhance conceptual design reasoning using multisensory XR technology. XRLE enhances spatial perception, compositional skills, and architectural education by incorporating neuroarchitecture into cognitive ecology.