Design++ Summer School
Join us for the Design++ XR in AEC Summer School 2025 from September 1st to 5th, 2025 at ETH Zurich, and explore how XR technologies are transforming architecture, engineering, and construction.
The program features six hands-on workshops structured around three main focus topics and input lectures led by researchers from ETH Zurich and professionals in the field. Participants will engage with practical applications of immersive technologies in design, simulation, and construction. Open to students, researchers, and professionals - don’t miss this opportunity to connect with cutting-edge XR in AEC.
Please find the full list of workshops below. Applicants will be asked to select one workshop each. Please note that places in each workshop are limited and cannot be guaranteed.
Application
Applications are open until 7 June 2025
Selected participants will be notified by 1 July 2025
Participation Fee: 300 CHF
external page Apply now!
Workshops
Designing in XR – From Sketch to Interaction
Workshop 1: Developing XR Design Tools using Blender and Unity
This workshop offers a hands-on introduction to XR development using the Meta Quest, Unity, and Blender’s Geometry Nodes. Participants will learn core XR concepts—such as 3D navigation, controller input, and object instantiation—while building a simple VR sketching tool. The focus is on interaction design, demonstrating how user input can drive real-time 3D geometry. Participants will also explore procedural modeling in Blender and link it to Unity via MeshSync for live previews. Open to all skill levels, the workshop ensures each attendee leaves with a functioning XR prototype that creatively maps interaction to form.
Tutor: Dr. Henning Metzmacher, Game Technology Center, ETH Zurich
Workshop 2: Immersive Living Design – XR-Driven Studio Design at Full Scale
This workshop explores XR-driven studio design by simulating daily activities in an immersive environment. Using motion capture in the Immersive Design Lab, participants will track furniture placement and stream movement data into Rhino to generate spatial layouts in real time. Designs will evolve interactively and be visualized through a VR headset, with AI rendering used to enhance realism. Participants will gain practical skills in mocap tracking, real-time data streaming, and immersive visualization, culminating in a working design prototype shaped by embodied interaction.
Tutor: Wenqian Yang, Chair of Digital Building Technologies (D-ARCH) and the Chair of Concrete Structures and Bridge Design (D-BAUG), ETH Zurich
XR for Inspection and Fabrication at 1:1 Scale
Workshop 3: XR-Enabled Timber Assembly
This workshop introduces an XR-guided workflow for timber assembly using CompasXR, an open-source AR framework. Participants will adapt and assemble a small timber module based on a computational model, using augmented reality to guide the process from screen to site. The session offers hands-on experience with mobile AR deployment, real-time tracking, and feedback features. By the end, participants will understand the full pipeline—from Rhino to Unity to mobile app—and gain the skills to continue exploring XR-enabled fabrication independently.
Tutors: Alexandra Moisi, Gonzalo Casas, Ananya Kango, Panayiotis Papacharalambous, Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich.
Workshop 4: XR for Inspection, Assembly, and Operations: Scanning, Interacting, and Visualizing
This workshop teaches end-to-end XR workflows for integrating and interacting with data to support inspection, assembly, and operational tasks. Participants will learn to scan objects, prepare models, and integrate data into Unity for both VR and AR environments. Hands-on exercises cover model interaction and UI design; prior coding experience is recommended. In the second part, participants will process their own data and develop a custom XR application. Skills in Unity, Rhino, and scripting will be developed, with an emphasis on real-world data-driven XR environments.
Tutors: Dr. Eleftherios Triantafyllidis, Circular Engineering for Architecture Lab, ETH Zurich; Stefan Zimmermann, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich
Augmenting Perception and Collaboration in XR
Workshop 5: Points of Experience: Designing Space Through Other Bodies
This XR workshop invites architects, designers, engineers, and spatial practitioners to explore how built environments are perceived through different physical and sensory conditions. Grounded in embodied cognition and inclusive design research, we explore immersive tools and engage in collective reflection to examine how spatial designs are experienced across a spectrum of bodies and ways of inhabiting space. By engaging with diverse embodied perspectives, the workshop opens space to question design assumptions, assess accessibility, and deepen understanding of how design decisions shape the experiences of diverse users.
Tutors: external page Dr. Inés Ariza, Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich; external page Gerhard Bliedung, external page Interactive Things
Workshop 6: Augmenting Spatial Communication through 3D Sketch Mapping in Extended Reality
This workshop explores new forms of spatial communication through 3D sketch mapping in XR. Participants will engage with real-time collaborative sketching and visualization, leveraging spatial annotation tools to communicate design ideas and spatial relationships across shared virtual environments. Skills developed include multi-user interaction design, spatial storytelling, and 3D annotation workflows.
Tutor: Tianyi Xiao, Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation, ETH Zurich