Project Award for "Virtual Sketching"

After a review of the nominations and intense deliberation, the Commission for Quality Management in Teaching has recommended the below named members of RWTH Aachen for the 2016 Teaching Award. The Rector’s Office has approved the nominations. The award in the category "Projects" was presented during the RWTHtransparent event on January 27, 2017. The award in the category "Lecturer" will be presented during the event "Talk Lehre" on June 21, 2017.

The Project Award was presented to a team of researchers collaborating on the Virtual Sketching project, developed by Professor Thomas H. Schmitz from the Chair of Visual Arts at the Department of Architecture; scenographist Hannah Groninger; and Professor Torsten Kuhlen and computer scientist Dominik Rausch from the Virtual Reality Group.

The project follows an innovative approach to teaching in that it facilitates the design of three-dimensional objects with the help of virtual reality. Within an immersive virtual reality environment, the aixCave, students have the opportunity to investigate designed objects in real-life size. By successfully integrating several research questions into teaching practice, the project makes it possible for students to explore a complex medium with scientific methods.