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

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 be-tween 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.

Automated summary

This paper presents a novel method using virtual reality technology to study human-built environment interaction under multimodal (visual, auditory and thermal) conditions. The method allows dynamic interaction between subjects and the virtual environment, while collecting comprehensive data on human-environment interaction. The proof-of-concept study conducted with this method in a semi-outdoor environmental context demonstrates its ability to achieve high internal and ecological validity, and provides a holistic understanding of the psychological, behavioral, and physiological processes of human-environment interaction. It can be applied to further research on multisensory experience in the built environment, bridging the gap between empirical evidence and design implementation.