Virtual Reality Technology And The Teaching Of Architectural Lighting

The study of lighting in architectural and interior design education is diverse. It ranges from energy efficient lighting and daylighting to studies that assess the effect of illuminance upon finish materials and color interaction. This often leads to attempts to squeeze lighting into an already crowded curriculum and is compounded when efforts are made to develop complex study models of interior lighting environments. In short, there is often little time to explore these topics in adequate detail. This paper explores an alternative to the study of interior lighting environments through use of a Virtual Reality Theater. It discusses the development of one of these highly realistic virtual environments and how it is being used to introduce students to understand and interpret varying lighting scenarios of an interior environment and, as well, how it is generating a series of international research endeavors focused upon subjective impressions of interior environments. This study is grounded in the seminal work in this field initiated by such scholars as Flynn 1,2,3 . It poses the question of whether or not software-generated images can accurately simulate lighting effects of the physical environment so that subjective impressions are legitimately measured. This research is used as a backdrop to this particular paper that explores the use of the Theater as an educational tool and how it offers up solutions to reducing the time to create complex study models. The use of this technology to alleviate a crowded curriculum, to explore it as an effective teaching tool, and to assess its value and limitations, remains the crux of what will be discussed herein.