Exploring Virtual Reality for Enhancing Perceived Indoor Environmental Comfort in Educational Buildings: A Scoping Review

Authors

Keywords:

Virtual Reality, User Comfort, Indoor Environmental Quality, Educational Spaces, Immersive Environments, Occupant Satisfaction, Scoping Review, PRISMA

Abstract

This scoping review systematically explores the role of Virtual Reality (VR) in assessing and enhancing perceived indoor environmental comfort within educational buildings. The main objective was to map existing literature addressing VR applications across thermal, visual, acoustic, spatial, general environmental comfort, and indoor air quality dimensions. Given the inconsistent user satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in educational spaces, this study highlights VR's potential as a cost-effective tool for assessing and optimizing occupant comfort post-construction. Employing the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, structured searches were conducted in the Scopus database, resulting in 1,125 unique records. After rigorous screening based on predefined criteria, 17 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2014 and 2024 were included. Findings demonstrate VR's diverse effectiveness in comfort assessments, educational interventions, and informed design decision-making processes. Visual comfort was the most frequently studied dimension, with VR reliably simulating optimal lighting conditions but showing limitations in dim or high-contrast scenarios. Thermal comfort simulations effectively enhanced students' understanding of complex concepts. Acoustic comfort evaluations highlighted beneficial impacts on cognitive performance, while biophilic VR environments improved general comfort, reducing stress indicators. Notable limitations include small participant samples, technological realism constraints, limited multisensory integration, and reliance on a single database. This review uniquely contributes to architectural practices by providing insights for informed design, educational enhancement, and policy-making, ultimately promoting occupant well-being, sustainable design, and improved educational environment.

Author Biographies

  • Rund Hiyasat

    Rund Hiyasat is an Assistant Professor and Internship Coordinator at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi. She is currently pursuing her PhD with a research focus on virtual reality applications for enhancing user comfort within educational environments. Her research interests include environmental psychology, user-centered design, and immersive technologies in architectural settings. Rund is dedicated to integrating innovative technological solutions into architectural practice and education, aiming to create sustainable, comfortable, and responsive built environments.

  • Laurens Luyten

    Laurens Luyten (engineer, architect, PhD) teaches theory courses and studios on Structural Design since 1996 at the Faculty of Architecture (former Sint-Lucas School of Architecture). For 17 years he collaborated as a structural engineer with various engaged architects in almost 300 projects of public buildings, private dwellings, social housing, and renovations. Based on his experience as a structural engineer and scholar in structural education, he focused in his doctoral work (Chalmers, SE) on the creative collaboration of structural engineers and architects, leading to novel approaches in their conceptual design communication. He founded the research group BRIDGES, where he investigates effective learning environments for architecture students to develop deeper structural understandings, and studies the field of structurally informed architectural design. Since 2023 he is campus chair of the Faculty of Architecture.

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Published

2025-08-12

Conference Proceedings Volume

2025: International Conference on Digital Frontiers in Buildings and Infrastructure (DFBI2025), 11-13 June 2025, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences Technische Universiteit Delft (TU Delft)

Section

Open Access Proceeding of Conference on Digital Frontiers in Buildings and Infrastructure Series