
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING PLACES (TLP)
Research Lab
ABOUT
TLP is a research lab in the School of Architecture, Ariel University. The lab focuses on how learning and teaching occur and transform using cutting-edge media. How learners, tutors, and educational spaces intersect to produce transformative cognitive processes.
TLP lab stands at the forefront of studies on evaluating the use of new media in learning processes in the fields of Architecture, Design, and Education. New media environments, such as virtual reality, form an integral part of the research in the TLP lab. Going beyond the traditional learning space, VR media allow for transformation to take place.
TLP develops and refines methods able to assess learning and teaching processes and their educational settings and contribute to future pedagogy.
PEOPLE

HADAS SOPHER, PhD
Lab director

CHEN HAJAJ, PhD
Lab co-director
STUDENTS
AMIT SHAHARABANI
Research assistant
OSHER COHEN
Research assistant
ADI MIARA
Research assistant
FORMER PEOPLE
DALIBOR DZURILLA, ÄŒVUT
Research
STAV ANKRI
Research assistant
COLLABORATORS

HybridLab. School of Design, University of Montreal

University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

University of Nantes, AAU/CRENAU, ENSA-Nantes FRANCE
We are looking for excellent students
The TLP lab and the HybridLab are looking for passionate and innovative master and doctoral students to participate in cutting-edge research. We welcome proposals focused on Design education in early ideation stage, using high-end virtual reality tools. What do we offer? Generous funding opportunities in both labs A rich and diverse knowledge from a joint supervision How to Apply? Send us an email with a cover letter and CV. We are happy to discuss this in a personal talk online or on-site.

The TLP team is expanding
Super news from November 24': We welcome Dr Chen Hajaj, who has joined the TLP lab as a co-director. Chen is an excellent researcher focused on network analysis, HCI and AI development.
Great having you here, Chen!

Paper ALERT
Our latest research results were presented in the 41 eCAADe conference. "The temporal effect of immersive VR on student-tutor interaction in design crits", Sopher, Casakin and Gero (2023)

Paper ALERT
Our latest research results were presented in the 41 eCAADe conference. "Architect-Client Communication During Co-ideation with 2D Digital and 3D Immersive Sketches", Dzurilla, Sopher and Dorta (2023)

Paper ALERT
Our paper was published in ArchNet-IJAR journal. "Learning In Metaverse" , Sopher and Lescop (2023)

Paper ALERT
Our paper was published in eCAADe conference. A Data-Driven NLP Approach to Analyzing Framing and Reframing in Design Protocols
Casakin, Sopher, Anidjar, Gero (2024)
RESARCH PROJECTS
STUDENT-TUTOR INTERACTION IN IMMERSIVE VR
The study analyses student and tutor design behaviours during their interaction in design critiques.
COLLABORATIVE DESIGN IDEATION USING SOCIAL VR
This study aims at describing how collaborative ideation between students, tutor and teams takes place in a Social VR system. We used the Hyve 3D for multiple case studies, including the design studio course and a multi-disciplinary course.
CODESIGN WITH SOCIAL VR IN THE FIELD OF HEALTHCARE
The project investigates how Social VR is used to support healthcare providers
LEARNING SPACES INÂ METAVERSE
Focussing in multi-user virtual environments, the project identifies learning patterns and emerging learning spaces within virtual worlds

JOURNALS
Hadas Sopher, Laurent Lescop (2023), Learning in metaverse: the immersive atelier model of the architecture studio, Archnet-IJAR. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-10-2022-0213
Hadas Sopher, Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman, and Yehuda Kalay (2019), Going Immersive? Assessing Learning Performance in a Multi-Setting Architecture Studio, the British Journal of Educational Technology, Special issue of Future Learning Spaces for Learning Communities. Vol. 5(5), P. 2109-2128. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12857
Davide Schaumann, Nirit Pilosof, Hadas Sopher, Jacob Yahav, Yehuda E. Kalay (2019) Simulating Multi-Agent Narratives for Pre-Occupancy Evaluation of Architectural Designs, Automation in Construction, 106, 102896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.102896
Hadas Sopher, Davide Schaumann, Yehuda E. Kalay (2016), Simulating Human Behavior in (Un)Built Environments: Using an Actor Modeling Method, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Computer and Information Engineering, 10(12), 2131 – 2140.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Hadas Sopher, Tomás Dorta (2023). Collaborative-Knowledge Construction Activity Method to Analyse Design-Learning in VR Co-design Crits. In: Gero, J.S. (eds) Design Computing and Cognition’22. DCC 2022. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20418-0_26
Hadas Sopher and Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman (2022) Using an immersive virtual learning environment in the architectural studio - a place-based assessment model for the learning environment. In R. Blonder et al. (Eds.) Learning Technologies in Higher Education in Israel. IUCEL. (Hebrew)
Hadas Sopher and Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman (2020) Immersive Behaviour Settings in Architectural Education, To be published in R. Almendra and J. Ferreira (eds.), Research & Education in Design: People & Processes & Products & Philosophy. Taylor & Francis
Pilosof N.P., Schaumann D., Sopher H., Kalay Y.E., Yahav J. (2020) Outpatient Clinic Design in Israel: Comparative Evaluation by Digital Simulation. In: Tevik Løvseth L., de Lange A.H. (eds) Integrating the Organization of Health Services, Worker Wellbeing and Quality of Care. Springer, Cham.
Hadas Sopher (2015) Digital design values as initiators for Sustainable Design, in Sustainable Architecture - Towards Holistic Approach, Ed. Tagit Klimor, p. 327-347. Technion – Israel Institute of Technology press. (Hebrew).
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS PAPERS
Casakin, Hernan; Sopher, Hadas; Anidjar, Or H.; Gero, John S. (2024) A Data-Driven NLP Approach to Analyzing Framing and Reframing in Design Protocols. In Kontovourkis, O, Phocas, MC and Wurzer, G (eds.), Data-Driven Intelligence - Proceedings of the 42nd Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2024), Nicosia, 11-13 September 2024, Volume 2, pp. 547–556
Hadas Sopher, Hernan Casakin and John S. Gero (2023). The Temporal effect of Immersive VR on Student-Tutor Interaction in Design Crits. In Dokonal, W, Hirschberg, U and Wurzer, G (eds.), Digital Design Reconsidered - Proceedings of the 41st Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2023), Volume 1, Graz, 20-22 September 2023, pp. 191–200. https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2023.1.191
Dalibor Dzurilla, Hadas Sopher, and Tomás Dorta, (2023) Architect-Client Communication During Co-ideation with 2D Digital and 3D Immersive Sketches. In Dokonal, W, Hirschberg, U and Wurzer, G (eds.), Digital Design Reconsidered - Proceedings of the 41st Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2023) - Volume 1, Graz, 20-22 September 2023, pp. 221–230. https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2023.1.221
Hadas Sopher and Tomàs Dorta (2022). Using Social VR System in Multidisciplinary Codesign. In Pak, B, Wurzer, G and Stouffs, R (eds.), Co-creating the Future: Inclusion in and through Design - Proceedings of the 40th Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2022), Vol. 1. pp. 547–556.
Hadas Sopher, Hernan Casakin and John S. Gero (2022). Effect of Immersive VR on Student-Tutor Interaction in Design Crits. In Pak, B, Wurzer, G and Stouffs, R (eds.), Co-creating the Future: Inclusion in and through Design - Proceedings of the 40th Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe 2022), Vol. 1. pp. 123–132.
Hadas Sopher, Julie Milovanovic, and John S. Gero (2022). Exploring the effect of immersive VR on student-tutor communication in the architecture design crits. POST-CARBON, Proceedings of the 27th International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) 2022, Vol. 2, pp. 315-324.
Hadas Sopher and John S. Gero (2021) Effect of Immersive VR on Communication Patterns in Architectural Design Critiques. In the proceedings of the 39th eCAADe Conference, Volume 1, Novi Sad. http://papers.cumincad.org/cgi-bin/works/paper/ecaade2021_030
Hadas Sopher (2020) Analysing Divergent-Convergent Activities in the Architectural Studio, with the aid of the 'Knowledge Construction Activities' model. In the proceedings of The Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC2020), Oulu, Finland, August 26th – 28th 2020
Hadas Sopher, Dafna Fisher Gewirtzman, and Yehuda E. Kalay (2018), Use of Immersive Virtual Environment in the Design Studio: An Assessment Model. In Kepczynska-Walczak, A, Bialkowski, S (eds.), Computing for a better tomorrow, the proceedings of the 36th eCAADe Conference, volume 2, Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland, 19-21 September 2018, pp. 853-862.
Tomas Dorta, Emmanuel Beaudry Marchand and Hadas Sopher (2018) Co-Design in HYVE 3-D, Representational Ecosystem, Design Conversations and Knowledge Construction Activities, In Kepczynska-Walczak, A, Bialkowski, S (eds.), Computing for a better tomorrow, the proceedings of the 36th eCAADe Conference, volume 1, Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland, 19-21 September 2018, pp. 53-56 (Workshop abstract).
Hadas Sopher, Dafna Fisher Gewirtzman and Yehuda E. Kalay (2018) Assessing Situated Learning Patterns, In the Eighth International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition (DCC'18), 2-4 July 2018, Lake Como, Italy (Poster abstract).
Hadas Sopher, Yehuda E. Kalay, Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman (2017) Why Immersive? Using an Immersive Environment in Architectural Education. In Fioravanti, A, Cursi, S, Elahmar, S, Gargaro, S, Loffreda, G, Novembri, G, Trento, A (eds.), ShoCK! - Sharing Computational Knowledge!, the proceedings of the 35th eCAADe Conference, volume 1, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, 20-22 September 2017, pp. 313-322.
Davide Schaumann, Michal Gath Morad, Einat Zinger, Nirit Putievsky Pilosof, Hadas Sopher, Michal Brodeschi, Kartikeya Date, Yehuda E. Kalay (2016) A Computational Framework to Simulate Human Spatial Behavior in Built Environments, Attar, R, Chronis, A, Hanna, S, and Turrin, M (eds.), the proceedings of Symposium on Simulation for Architecture and Urban Design (SimAUD), EU.2016, May 2016, London, UK.
Hadas Sopher (2015) Immersive Virtual Environment Technology: A New Crit Learning Model, in Germanos, D & Liapi, M (eds.), Symposium proceedings of Places for Learning Experiences: Think, Make, Change, Thessaloniki, Greece, p. 236-246.

CONFERENCES LECTURES
2023 Temporal Effect of Immersive VR on Student-Tutor Interaction in Design Crits.
eCAADe Conference, Graz.
2022 Collaborative-Knowledge Construction Activity Method to Analyse Design-Learning in VR Co-design Crits.
DCC' Glasgow
2022 Effect of Immersive VR on Student-Tutor Interaction in Design Crits.
eCAADe Conference, Ghent.
2021 Effect of Immersive VR on Communication Patterns in Architectural Design Critiques
eCAADe Conference, Novi Sad
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2021 Architectural aspects in immersive virtual environments – teaching online yet being in place.
AMPS conference - Online Education: Teaching In a Time of Change
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2020 Analysing Divergent-Convergent Activities in the Architectural Studio, with the aid of the 'Knowledge Construction Activities' model
The Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC2020) Oulu, Finland
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2019 Immersive Behaviour Settings in Architectural Education.
International Research & Education in Design Conference, Lisbon School of Architecture, Lisbon, Portugal
2018 Use of Immersive Virtual Environment in the Design Studio: An Assessment Model.
36th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe)
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2017 Why Immersive? Using an Immersive Environment in Architectural Education.
35th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe), Rome, Italy.
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2016 Simulating Human Behavior in (Un)Built Environments: Using an Actor Modeling Method
ICSC 2016: 18th International Conference on Spatial Cognition, Miami, US (Best presentation award).
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2015 Immersive virtual environment in design education: A situated model of the learning process
Immersion 2015 conference and the 5th European Immersive Education Summit (EiED 2015), Paris, France.
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2015 Immersive virtual environment technology: a new crit learning model
Places for Learning Experiences symposium: Think, Make, Change, Thessaloniki, Greece.
