Visual technologies for urban design competences in architecture education

The paper is concerned about the influence of visual technologies as an aid to acquire the required competences in the process of designing and representing urban spaces in Architecture studies. It is inferred that by using technology, an architecture student can perform their projects in a way that adjust the way of learning to their profile and to the current tendency of visualization. An analysis of the characteristics of the contemporary students' profile is made along with how traditional methods that can be supported with technology specifically with immerse virtual systems. It is demonstrated in this article how gamified strategies for the understanding of three-dimensional space improve spatial competences of students generating greater motivation in their use and it ease for understanding the space and making decisions. The data is obtained from the quantitative assessment, to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual systems on the design of urban environments. This lets us identify specific features in an objective way. The findings show that the use of Virtual Reality helps to increase the digital competences in complex representation and permit assessment and decision-making in the processes of urban design spaces. The relevance of this study is the redefinition of the studies of the design processes in Architecture studies in relation to the adaptation of teaching methodologies to the profile of today's students.