From Digital to Immersive: Applying Parametric Modeling and Mixed Reality in Landscape Architecture Design Education

This study aimed to enhance landscape architecture students’ comprehensive understanding of structural logic, scale cognition, and environmental relationships. To this end, it implemented an integrated pedagogical workflow combining parametric modeling, structural topology optimization, mixed reality presentation, and 3D printing during the 2025 Beijing Design Marathon workshop, involving 17 participants. Students first applied the Ameba plugin on the Grasshopper platform to conduct topology optimization of bridge design domains, exploring the internal logic of force flow and material distribution and strengthening their grasp of the “load–structure–form” relationship. The selected optimization results were utilized in 3D printing experiments, where scaled physical models were fabricated using Bambu Lab printers and biodegradable polylactic acid materials to facilitate the transition from digital forms to tangible spatial constructs. Subsequently, the optimized models were imported into Microsoft HoloLens 2 and projected into real environments using the Fologram plugin, enabling immersive MR-based spatial demonstrations. To evaluate the educational value of this integrated approach, a structured questionnaire was administered, which included a five-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. The results showed generally positive student perceptions across the dimensions of realism, immersion, scale comprehension, and design decision-making support, with all mean scores above 4.0. These findings suggest that the integrated workflow has potential to support students’ spatial perception, scale understanding, and design feedback experience within the specific context of the workshop. However, given the limited sample size and exploratory nature of the course-based study, the results should be interpreted as preliminary evidence rather than conclusive proof of broad pedagogical effectiveness. Grounded in the concept of “digital learning spaces,” this study further discusses the practical value and limitations of multimodal digital technologies in aligning pedagogical methods with subject-specific digitization.