The use of virtual reality in architecture has begun to modernize the design process.

Already clients are experiencing faster design processes, and architectural firms are revamping the way they create designs for their customers.

One area that is likely to benefit from VR technology is green building architecture.  For commercial and residential buildings looking to optimize a green design, architects will embrace the benefit of VR.

How Virtual Reality Architecture Has Improved the Industry

Even without green design, VR has made an impact on design and construction. With VR technology, clients can engage with their environment while architects can add finishing touches and let customers view those changes in real time. The approval process has sped up dramatically as well, with clients and architects able to collaborate with one another in a single appointment instead of over the course of months.

The real-world element has also now been implemented. Instead of looking at flat computer renderings or 3D models made by hand, architects and clients are experiencing designs firsthand. Architects can even assess the viability of minor, yet important details, like fire escape routes in a building.

The Alignment of VR and Green Design

Virtual reality has changed how architects create designs, but also it provides them with an opportunity to improve the “green” aspect of that design.

Just some ways virtual reality can help make more eco-friendly homes and commercial properties include:

• Natural Light: With virtual reality, architects can use a range of colors to see where sunlight lands naturally. While it could be used for decorative purposes, this also helps the architect assess how much natural light the property will receive, reducing their dependence on artificial light sources.
• Energy Efficient Design Process: With virtual reality, designers are not only moving faster toward the construction phase, but they are also using fewer materials. While the paper specifications might still be required, fewer materials are used to create 3D models. Also, architects no longer need different finishes in their offices; instead, they can hook a client up to their VR system and let them experience them in a real-world setting, thereby reducing the demand for these products in general.
• Orientation: Certain VR design programs allow users to try multiple light cycles, seeing their design during different hours of the day. By experiencing the orientation of the building, the architect can adjust to reduce heating and cooling costs for the property or to optimize the building’s solar energy system.

Many of the changes coming to green building architecture in the future will likely stem from virtual reality and other forms of 3D virtual technology. Augmented reality is used in conjunction with virtual design to help architects hone in on energy deficits and improve a property’s design to make less of an environmental impact.

Want more information about architects, architecture, design, and the tools and process that impact where you work and live? Subscribe to Design Matters (URL: subscribe landing page) – the monthly news email from Bill Whittaker, Registered Architect.