Why create CONSTRUMADERA VR?

In recent years, timber construction has been attracting increasing interest in society. Architecture is increasingly focusing on building with sustainable materials, as governments and individuals demand more spaces and homes with wood as the main material, including in their structure.

The European Union's effort and drive for more sustainable living spaces is enabling the development of a growing timber construction industry, including in the Mediterranean region.

This context demands workers skilled in timber construction, but it is not easy for training centres to set up workshops to replicate this type of construction.

The design of the CONSTRUMADERA VR activities and its virtual environment required collaboration with a specialised company and the participation of a teacher specialising in this area.

What is it?

CONSTRUMADERA VR, is a virtual simulator that simulates the installation of wooden structures and it is for use in vocational training centres or other public bodies linked to education.

This simulator allows students studying for this certificate of professional competence or other studies related to carpentry and construction with wood to realistically experience the tasks involved in the assembly and installation of timber structures.

Due to their special characteristics, it is difficult to reproduce these tasks in educational workshops, for various reasons:

• They require large assembly spaces.
• Heavy and large items are handled.
• Difficulty and danger of working at heights.

The CONSTRUMADERA VR virtual simulator is open and free for educational purposes and does not require a licence fee for its use. It is available on formal request for use in vocational training centres or other public bodies involved in education.

What activities does it include?

The user interface allows learning situation scenarios to be selected from examples of timber construction projects:

• Construction of light frame house.
• Construction of heavy frame house.
• Construction of log or wooden block house walls.
• Construction using large structural timber and timber products.

For each of these activities the user can adjust the stakeout parameters, check measurements and carry out different methods of timber construction: jointing and anchoring systems, construction elements and steps, types of fittings, hand tools, portable machine tools and safety regulations.

Once inside a virtual scenario it is possible to interact, in practice mode or exam mode, which records the result obtained by each student.

What formats are available?

CONSTRUMADERA VR is available in two formats:

• PC format for on-screen practice. The equipment requirements are indicated in the manual.
• VR Format for immersive practice and evaluation. The second format requires virtual reality headsets and controllers or Touch controllers.

Optionally, if the school has a Moodle platform, CONSTRUMADERA VR allows the results achieved by each student to be integrated into this platform as an online evaluation task.

It includes a teacher's manual with installation instructions and a list of different types of errors and their scores for each of the proposed activities.

How to request to use it?

Training centres interested in obtaining CONSTRUMADERA VR should follow the steps below:

1- Send an email to labora_crnfp_paterna@gva.es expressing their interest.

2- They will have to fill in a commitment document for the responsible use of the simulator and an online application form that we will send them.

3- Once the documentation has been checked, a link will be sent to download the materials to be installed in the training centre's classrooms.

 Video students using CONSTRUMADERA VR