TU Campus Quest Architecture – Our First Design

A new online escape game offers insight into architecture studies

2025/06/17

With the escape game “Our First Design,” prospective students can get a playful, hands-on impression of the Bachelor's program in Architecture at TU Darmstadt. In addition to experiencing a variety of study content, players also get to explore the department building.

Background & objective

The escape game was developed to convey the unique aspects of architecture studies in an interactive and practical way. Prospective students gain an authentic glimpse into typical coursework and daily student life.

The storyline is based on a real design assignment from the first semester of the Bachelor's program, reflecting both the requirements and the breadth of the curriculum—from project-based study and creative design process through to intensive teamwork across disciplines.

Racing against the clock for the first design

Players join first-year architecture students Selina and Emilie, whose design must be submitted the next day. As a player, you step into the scenario and assist them in completing their task on time. Since the design assignment is a genuine project from the first semester, it offers an authentic simulation of real student life.

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TU Campus Quest Architecture – Our First Design

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Discover the characteristics of architecture studies in a playful way

As you help Selina and Emilie with their design, you’ll experience different aspects of the architecture program:

  • Project-based learning: Just like real-life studies, the escape game emphasizes work on a tangible project, combining creative and technical elements.
  • Interdisciplinary scope: Architecture merges design, engineering, and the humanities. The game includes challenges that reflect this broad spectrum.
  • Design-centric focus: Design is at the core of the degree, and this central role is highlighted in the game.
  • Collaborative studio environment: Social interaction and teamwork are key. The game lets you experience the collaborative atmosphere of student workspaces.
  • High work intensity: Architecture studies can be intense and frequently under time pressure—this is mirrored in the game.

The “Escape Game Architecture” offers prospective students a unique opportunity to explore architecture studies at TU Darmstadt in an engaging way. It combines realistic insights into academic life with the challenge of an escape game, highlighting creativity and collaboration.

About the project

The escape game was conceived, developed, and technically implemented as a joint project by the Department of Architecture and the E-Learning team of the Higher Education Didactics Unit at TU Darmstadt.

Concept and project management at the Department of Architecture:
Dipl.-Des. Frank Metzger

Technical production and media-didactic consulting:
E-Learning Team – Higher Education Didactics Unit, TU Darmstadt
Felix Hoch, Markus Weber, and Franziska Ritter

The project was created as part of the QUIS joint initiative “FueLS – Future Learning Spaces,” funded by the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts.

Alle Escape Games