Architects WindsorPatania have come up with an AI-driven teaching environment which they claim is “reimagining the future of education”.
The futuristic concept has been housed for the first time in what the practice calls an Extended Reality Lab (XR Lab) that has been installed at West Suffolk College, an FE college in Bury St Edmunds which is part of Eastern Colleges Group, a training organisation which works with schools and colleges. Students at West Suffolk College have been using their new XR Lab to explore AI-powered technology such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality Technology in what WindsorPatania describe as “a pioneering learning environment”.
The architect’s brief was to create a space that drives innovation in learning, education, and research, and which can appeal to a diverse student body. The Lab is contained within a hub that’s been installed in a hanger that previously housed the college’s engineering department. Serving as a lecture theatre, the Lab has wall-to-wall screens, a motion capture system, immersive sound,video, and 62VR headsets on the side walls. This space also provides a “tables set-up” which promotes a culture of teamwork among students, encouraging real-life interactions amongst the high-tech facilities in the space. Each space with XR Lab features advanced cameras and microphones that relay information to the other areas, creating a dynamic an all-encompassing interactive educational experience.
The project has been underwritten by £2m of government funding. Richard Stevenson, Group Director of Operations, Eastern Colleges Group, said: “XR Lab is a catalyst for ground-breaking ideas, a place to bring students and industry together to explore new ways of working, teaching and learning”. Ryan Windsor, Co-Director of WindsorPatania, commented: “From the onset, the project aim was to innovate and democratise education. With the recent debates surrounding AI and its role in our future world, XR Lab sets a clear blueprint that can be implemented to achieve positive advances by embracing cutting- edge technology for learning.” comments As well as helping students at West Suffolk College explore AI technology, Eastern College Group hopes that the XR Lab can be rolled out to other schools and colleges. The aim is to drive innovation across the College Group’s education programmes and enable training and collaboration with businesses and organisations in the region. Nikos Savvas, CEO, Eastern Colleges Group, said: “XR Lab opens the path for exceptional opportunities for the local community to engage with and benefit from its advanced technologies. Itis going to revolutionise teaching and learning across all sectors.”
