VR-based experimental study on daylight brightness, satisfaction and room use preference in housing design

Virtual reality (VR) enables immersive simulations of building designs that enhance user engagement and spatial understanding. This study investigates how virtual daylight conditions in virtual residential environments influence occupants' emotional and behavioral responses. A within-subjects experimental study was conducted with 30 participants. Each participant experienced two virtual environment settings (rooms with different window orientation) using an HTC Vive head-mounted display. Participants rated each scene on brightness, pleasure, satisfaction, and preference to use the room. The relationships between brightness and emotional responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results show that brightness variations in VR due to window orientation significantly affected pleasure and satisfaction of home occupants in the virtual environment. Brighter rooms in the virtual environment increased both pleasure and satisfaction. Satisfaction showed a strong positive correlation with room usage preference, whereas pleasure had a small negative effect on preference. Participants were more likely to prefer rooms in which they felt satisfied with the lighting, even though increased pleasure did not translate directly into greater room preference. Overall, the study revealed that daylight influences comfort - brightness strongly correlates with satisfaction, and satisfaction strongly drives room preference. By empirically linking simulated daylight to emotional responses and behavior, the research advocates integrating VR into early architectural design to explore daylight strategies.