Integrating AR into biophilic design education enables learners to become active agents in imagining healthier urban environments. It aligns with the goals of STEM by combining observation, experimentation, and technical design, while also engaging creativity, collaboration, and sustainability literacy.

By the end of this section, learners should be able to:

  • Identify and compare key AR tools for design purposes.
  • Use at least one AR app to visualize a biophilic urban element.
  • Reflect on how the use of AR deepens their understanding of space, nature, and human interaction with the built environment.
Phase Description
Explore

- Introduction to Biophilic Concepts: Introduce learners to the science and purpose of biophilic design in urban environments.
- STEM Contextualization: Identify biological, physical, mathematical, and technological principles relevant to nature-based urban design.
- Environmental Observation: Guide learners in observing and documenting natural patterns in local or school-based urban settings.
- Conceptual Research: Explore global examples of biophilic cities and urban nature integration (e.g., Singapore’s green corridors, Milan’s vertical forests).
- Needs Analysis: Determine gaps in existing learning spaces and students’ understanding of sustainable urban systems.
Execute


- Design Thinking in Practice: Facilitate student-led urban space redesign challenges using biophilic strategies aligned with STEM principles.
- Interactive Prototyping: Engage students in developing site-specific or conceptual biophilic urban interventions (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens, nature corridors).
- AR Prototyping: Students visualize their redesigned spaces using AR tools such as CoSpaces Edu or Assemblr EDU, simulating natural light, airflow, and organic forms.
- Collaborative Projects: Encourage teamwork in creating digital biophilic environments that reflect ecosystem services and human well-being.
- Feedback and Peer Reflection: Students present their projects, receive peer review, and reflect on how nature and technology can shape healthier cities.
Enhance

- AR Skill Building: Deepen understanding of AR tools and spatial visualization for urban design.
- Application to Biophilic Concepts: Use AR to explore how design elements like green facades, light corridors, or tree canopies function in real spaces.
- AR-Based Storytelling: Students narrate their biophilic projects using AR annotations, demonstrating the STEM logic behind their design choices.
- Gamified Learning Experiences:
 • Earn points and badges by identifying or placing biophilic elements (e.g., native trees, natural materials).
 • Progress through design “quests” simulating urban challenges (e.g., managing shade or water runoff).
 • Work in teams on “green city” simulations and compete to design the most sustainable space.
- AR-Based Assessment: Assess design comprehension through AR interactions (e.g., place-based challenges or scenario responses), measuring both spatial reasoning and application of STEM knowledge.