Design School Nantes Atlantique Expands to Laval, Establishing a New Campus in the Region
Established in 1988, Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, a renowned design institution, is venturing into a new territory with a training center opening in Laval, Mayenne — the international capital of virtual reality — in May 2024. The institution will showcase its projects at the VR/AR exhibition on April 12-14, 2024, including a partnership with Credit Mutuel Arkea that encourages students to reenvision banking products for the metaverse through immersion. Three students from the school's Digital Design master's program will also present their "Arcade Odyssey" project in the Revolution #Students - Demo competition, which aims to reinvent arcade game interfaces using augmented reality technology.
Moving forward, the school plans to expand its influence to Laval by offering a unique range of courses focused on immersive world design starting from September 2024 at the new campus. Four new immersive design courses will be introduced, including three Diplôme National des Métiers d'Art et du Design (DN MADE) programs at the Bachelor's level (Space, Digital, and Objects) and a Diplôme de Design, Master's degree program in Design and Innovation Strategy for Immersive Worlds. These courses aim to train students in essential skills for various design fields, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) techniques for interior architecture and architecture design, virtual modeling, user experience design (UX Design) for immersive environments, and innovation strategy for immersive worlds at the Master's level.
The new facilities in Laval will accommodate 110 students, who will benefit from the school's project-based teaching approach, developed by the institution's Nantes-based branches. The courses are government-accredited and prioritize apprenticeships to promote professional integration, with 18 months of the DN MADE program and two years of the master's program entirely apprenticeship-based.
Regarding advancements in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, the school believes that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize content creation and user interaction. Large Language Models (LLMs) such as LUMA can create textured 3D models from text or generate 3D environments from videos, while AI assistants may facilitate interaction in an augmented environment, supporting design and creativity processes.
Looking to the future, Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique envisions a world where VR/AR goggles become as ubiquitous and essential as smartphones, contributing to numerous aspects of daily life. Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset is seen as a potential stepping stone towards this future, offering user-friendly designs that cater to extended wear and high-quality VR experiences for daily use.
Technology and education-and-self-development will be at the forefront when Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique introduces new immersive design courses in Laval starting from September 2024. The school will offer four innovative courses, including a Diplôme de Design, Master's degree program in Design and Innovation Strategy for Immersive Worlds, which aims to train students in AI-driven technologies like Large Language Models and AI assistants for content creation and user interaction in VR/AR environments.
