Virtual Reality (VR) for Design and Research: A Multi-sensory Approach to Architecture, Landscape/Soundscape, and Urban Design

Recently, I was invited as a speaker to contribute to a seminar series at the School of Architecture and Fine Arts, Dalian University of Technology, hosted by Professor Xiaodong Lu. The presentation I delivered focused on Virtual Reality (VR) moving beyond static visualisation to dynamic, multi-sensory simulation, positioning it as both a critical communication tool for design and a methodological advancement in research.

A critical challenge in design communication is the disparity in spatial perception. Through years of professional training, we as designers have developed the cognitive ability to interpret 2D representations and vividly construct the 3D reality and multi-sensory experiences in our minds before the space exists. However, this is a specialised ability that most clients and non-professionals do not possess. They should not be expected to bridge this cognitive gap or imagine details that are only visible to the trained eye. This is where I positioned VR not merely as a visualisation technique, but as an essential epistemic tool. VR bypasses the need for abstract translation, allowing the viewer to perceive the design with the same fidelity and immediacy as the designer, effectively democratising the spatial experience. Following this theoretical framework, the remainder of the presentation transitioned into the technical mechanisms of VR, specifically the principles of visual and auditory simulation that create presence.

Reformatted as an interactive digital booklet below, you can flip through the spreads to explore the diagrams and detailed breakdown of these technologies.