Virtual and Augmented Reality for Architecture and Design

Virtual Reality (VR) is the paradigm wherein people use a computer to interact with something which is not real but provides a real-life experience. It is one of the most advanced interfaces between users and computers, where people can interact with a virtual model in real-time allowing them to visualize and manipulate representations of the real world. Together with Augmented Reality (AR), which adds layers of information to the real environment, VR is a powerful tool for designers and architects in the development of new responsive products, systems and built environments, that meets user's needs. VR and AR are tools that enhance design and architecture students' comprehension about complex and abstract concepts.

Informative and accessible, this publication presents, analyses, and discusses the integration and use of Virtual and Augmented Reality within the process of planning, development and research for Design and Architecture. The book also presents case studies with multidisciplinary collaborative work.

This book is meant for practitioners and academics alike, as it examines specific aspects related to the use of new technologies in the field of Architecture and Design, highlighting its application in areas such as education, heritage, research, and methodologies, bridging the gap between Architectural and Design abstraction and human requirements through technology.

Elisângela Vilar is an architect and currently full Researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon. She obtained a Ph.D. in Ergonomics and Human Factors (2012), and Postdoc in Ergonomics in Design (2019), both from University of Lisbon, Portugal. She is an effective researcher at CIAUD in the ErgoUX Lab and a collaborator research at ITI/LarSys. Her main research focus is the study of Human interactions with built environments and complex systems using virtual environments, usability, and user experience.

Ernesto Filgueiras is a professor at the University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal and an expert in User Experience, Ergonomics and Human-Centered Design to Design. He has vast experience in areas such as Methodologies for Product Design, Game Design and Analysis of human behavior in situation of interaction with real and digital products, with special emphasis on Gamification and Learn Process. He is the founder of the first Portuguese Master's Degree in Game Design and Development.

Francisco Rebelo is an associate professor at the University of Lisbon, Director of the ergoUX and coordinator of the research Ergonomics group in CIAUD (Interdisciplinary Center for Studies in Architecture, Urbanism and Design) and Research Collaborator at ITI/LarSyS - Interactive Technology Institute. His activity of teacher and research is focused on Human Centered Design, usability and user experience. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters and is Editor and Co-editor of 10 books.