The Perception of Architectural Space in Reality, in Virtual Reality, and through Plan and Section Drawings - A case study of the perception of architectural atmosphere

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a comparative study of an architectural space communicated as the space itself and its two different representations, i.e. a virtual reality model and traditional plan and section drawings. Using eye tracking technology in combination with qualitative questionnaires, a case study of an architectural space is investigated in physical reality, a virtual reality 3D BIM model, and finally through representation of the space in plan and section drawings. In this study, the virtual reality scenario seems closer to reality than the experience of the same space experienced through plan and section drawings. There is an overall higher correlation of both the conscious reflections and the less conscious behaviour between the real physical architectural space and the virtual reality space, than there is between the real space and the space communicated through plan and section drawings. We can conclude that the scenario with the best overall size estimations, compared to the actual measures, is the virtual reality scenario. The paper further discusses the future applications of virtual reality in architecture.