An immersive multisensory virtual reality approach to the study of human-built environment interactions

• Published in: Automation in construction Vol. 150; p. 104836
• Main Authors: Lyu, Kun, Brambilla, Arianna, Globa, Anastasia, de Dear, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.06.2023
• Subjects: Human comfort; Human-environment interaction; Immersive virtual environment; Multisensory experience; Outdoor environment; Thermal sense; Virtual reality; Immersive virtual environment; Human-environment interaction; Virtual reality; Human comfort; Thermal sense; VR; HRTF; Multisensory experience; Outdoor environment; AEC; MIVE
• ISSN: 0926-5805; 1872-7891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104836

Although human-built environment interaction has been studied extensively, the scope has been mostly limited to a single sensory domain instead of multimodal conditions. This knowledge gap results partially from the intrinsic complexity of multisensory experiments in the field of built environment. This paper develops a novel method for studying human-built environment interaction under multimodal (visual, auditory and thermal) conditions using virtual reality technology. It enables dynamic interaction between the subjects and the virtual environment while collecting a comprehensive array of data regarding the human-environment interaction. A proof-of-concept study was conducted with the developed method in a semi-outdoor environmental context. The method can simultaneously maximise both internal and ecological validity. Furthermore, it enables a holistic understanding of the psychological, behavioural and physiological processes of the human-environment interaction. It can be applied to further research questions involving multisensory experience in the built environment, bridging the gap between empirical evidence and design implementation. •A multisensory VR approach for the study of human-built environment interactions.•Thermal experience (dynamic airflow and sunlight) was integrated into VR.•Dynamic and multimodal experience in semi-outdoor was simulated.•Applications include research, pre-occupancy evaluation and stakeholder engagement.