Towards holistic multisensory fully immersive virtual reality prototypes in architectural design: An analytical hierarchy process-based systematic review

Virtual Reality (VR) offers transformative potential for multisensory research in architectural design and built environments, yet its capabilities remain underutilised. Existing studies often focus on isolated sensory perceptions with VR like thermal comfort, neglecting the holistic integration of multiple sensory modalities (visual, auditory, haptic, and olfactory). Additionally, physiological and cognitive measures linking sensory perception and architectural design controls remain insufficiently addressed. This systematic review applies an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework to evaluate 29 studies, examining four key criteria: Multisensory Integration, Physiological Measurements, Cognitive Testing, and Interaction Behaviours. These criteria address the complexity of human perception and VR's ability to measure and optimise sensory experiences, identifying gaps in research scopes and the affordances of VR simulations. The findings reveal underutilised sensory modalities, such as haptic feedback and olfactory stimuli, and emphasise the need for synchronised data collection frameworks, integrating real-time physiological and cognitive measurements. By highlighting the need to diversify sensory inputs and incorporate comprehensive measurements, this review proposes advancements in holistic VR-based experiments to deepen the understanding of multisensory interactions and user experiences in architectural research.