Barriers and Pathways to Sustainable Adoption of Immersive Technologies in Architecture: A Comparison of Industry and Academic Perspectives

Abstract A central concern in the sustainable adoption of digital technologies is that, despite demonstrated technical benefits, their integration across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector remains uneven. Virtual Reality (VR) exemplifies this challenge: although it has the potential to transform architectural communication, collaboration, and design education, uptake is fragmented and influenced by competing institutional priorities. This study investigates how VR is perceived and applied in academia and practice through focus group interviews analysed using Causal Layered Analysis (CLA). Moving beyond surface-level accounts, CLA uncovers systemic barriers, organisational structures, and cultural narratives that shape adoption. Six themes emerged across both groups: Collaboration, Immersion, Immersivity, Embodiment, Accessibility, and Cultural Resistance, highlighting areas of alignment and divergence. The findings demonstrate that VR adoption is not simply a technical process but a cultural and organisational negotiation, and they propose pathways for embedding immersive technologies into sustainable construction, intelligent building design, and professional education.