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 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.