A New Approach in Architectural Education: Students Learn Building Systems with 3D Construction Kits
Architecture students are gaining hands-on learning opportunities in their building courses through 3D-printed instructional kits. These kits, designed with a game-like approach, aim to strengthen students’ technical drawing skills and structural reasoning. Dr. Esra Karahan from the Department of Architecture explained the impact of the project: “We are receiving very positive feedback from our students. As they learn through models, they say ‘Oh, is that how it works? It’s so simple.’ For a subject often known as a more serious, rigid course, this is a very encouraging development. Turning the class into something playful, practical, and tangible has been a valuable outcome for us.”
The Faculty of Architecture at Yeditepe University has implemented an innovative project to support students’ understanding of building systems. Integrated into the Building courses, the project uses experiential learning to help students strengthen technical drawing and structural thinking. The system designed for the course comprises not only models but also educational 3D-printed kits developed with game logic in mind. These kits allow students to observe how different systems, elements, and layers come together within a building. Teaching assistants Bükre Pazar and Sude Acarbay actively support the modeling and production processes and work with students during in-class applications to observe the impact on learning.
Dr. Bahar Aktuna: We Integrated Play-Based Learning into the Curriculum
Dr. Bahar Aktuna from the Department of Architecture noted that students frequently struggle with building courses and described the project as follows:
“I have been working in the Architecture Department for five years. In previous years, we noticed that building courses were among the subjects students found most challenging. They feel much freer in design courses. Building courses, however, progresses in a more rigid way. Representing reality becomes highly strict, and not being on a construction site at that moment, explaining everything theoretically, and requiring a clear and accurate representation make the process very difficult for students.”
Dr. Aktuna explained that the team had been developing new pedagogical approaches for some time due to these difficulties:
“We first integrated the ‘design and build’ pedagogy, allowing students to directly observe the systems and elements of a structure in the classroom. This was very useful, but it required a significant amount of time. We have now moved from a ‘learning by building’ pedagogy to a ‘learning by playing’ pedagogy. We created more open-ended spaces where students could combine systems on scaled models to observe how everything comes together, how different systems, building elements, and layers overlap. Our colorful models help demonstrate this.”.
Practical, Fast, and Easy to Understand
Dr. Aktuna explained the aspects of the course that challenged students before the introduction of the models:
“In the ‘Building 1’ course, for example, we work on reinforced concrete systems. Students learn how various systems in small-scale structures come together and intersect, from structural systems to the envelope and interior systems. They must also express these systems through drawings in different planes. It is a broad subject, and reinforcing it takes time, yet we have limited hours within the academic year. So we designed a system that makes the process more practical, faster, and easier to understand.”
Dr. Esra Karahan: The Kits Guide Students Toward Experiential Learning
Dr. Esra Karahan from the Department of Architecture described the learning kits that provide students with hands-on experience:
“We had identified several issues with the building courses, and we update our courses every year to address them. This semester, we wanted to introduce a new pedagogical approach and designed a set of kits for this purpose. We printed the kits using the 3D printers available at our university and began implementing them this term.”
Karahan explained how the kits were intended to reshape the learning process:
“The purpose was this: we typically begin courses with theoretical lectures and then move on to applications and drawings. We reversed that sequence. With the 3D kits, we present the day’s problem to students without providing any theoretical information. As they interact with the kits, we do not tell them whether they are right or wrong. Instead, we ask open-ended, guiding questions that help them become confident in their decisions. This is the process structure. After it ends, students share their observations. A theoretical presentation that explains these concepts in detail follows. Later, they explore the same ideas again in a different project.”
Dr. Karahan also commented on student feedback:
“We are receiving very positive responses. When students learn through models, they say, ‘Oh, is that how it works? It’s so simple.’ For courses that are usually known as more serious subjects, this has been a very encouraging development. Turning the lesson into something playful, hands-on, and tangible has produced a valuable outcome for us.”.
Karagülle: “I Finally Started to Understand Better”
Student İncisu Karagülle explained that this is her second time taking the course and that the materials significantly improved her learning:
“I took the Building 2 course last year as well, but it was incredibly difficult for me. I couldn’t picture the concepts in my mind. This year, with these models, I began to understand what the instructor was explaining much better. I combined everything myself using hand–eye coordination and created the models based on what I saw on the board. These helped me a lot. The course is progressing much more easily for me compared to last year.”
Karagülle added:
“For courses like this, having model-based materials is extremely helpful for students. When you can see it in your hands, you understand the lesson more easily and can visualize it much better.”.