Application of a Virtual Environment for Education on the Construction Process of the Colosseum of Rome
The education of engineering in the classroom has relied on increasingly advanced technologies throughout the years, up to and including modern computer graphics and digital simulation. One of the most valuable innovations for both education and engineering has been the field of virtual environments, which are defined as simulations of data and methods created and presented in a wholly or partially digital space. A virtual environment is an ideal tool for students to observe engineering techniques and concepts with minimal expense and in relative safety. For this research, the project being demonstrated is not a modern construction project, but an ancient one, the Colosseum of Rome. For this particular simulation, the virtual environment was rendered using a graphics pipeline representing the components of the structure as individual pieces which could, in theory, be assembled into a complete structure in a specific order based on how the walls, support piers, concrete arches, and floors of each story were in the two decades during which the actual structure was built, starting from ca. 79 AD. From there, these digital assets were compiled in a virtual environment which was presented to a sample student test body via a virtual reality simulation employing a personal computer and the Oculus Rift headset. Each student would navigate through the erection process of the Colosseum, level by level, including infographics describing specific engineering aspects and methodologies used throughout the construction of the monument. The results of this simulation were graded based on both the historical accuracy of the simulation and the clarity of the presentation, although a more immersive simulation may be possible with improvements to the graphics processing unit (GPU) processing power, framerate, and display resolution. These surveys are a clear demonstration that virtual environments can be a powerful educational tool in terms of instructing students about both construction and computer simulation. It is hoped that virtual environments can be employed for many future simulations in construction engineering, history, and architecture.