Virtual reality in lighting design: Insights from academia and an international survey among professionals

The potential of virtual reality (VR) in lighting design remains underexplored, despite its growing technological advancements. This study aims to evaluate VR's applicability in lighting design by investigating its benefits, limitations, and adoption among professionals and researchers. A comprehensive literature review highlights VR's capabilities in replicating light distribution and its impact on perception. An international survey conducted from August to December 2023 gathered 57 responses from lighting professionals from 31 countries. Findings reveal that while 83 % of respondents are familiar with VR technologies and recognise the benefit of using VR in practice, its use in lighting design remains limited, with 70 % using VR rarely (46 %) or never (24 %). Key barriers for adoption include a lack of experience, training, time, financial constraints, and hardware limitations. VR is mainly applied for client presentations or conceptual designs, showcasing its potential to enhance client satisfaction despite the basic nature of most environments. This study underscores the need for simple, intuitive, and open-source VR tools to bridge the gap between academic research and professional practice. By aligning VR tools with professional needs, the findings provide a foundation for improving adoption rates and advancing the integration of VR in lighting design. Future research should focus on cost-effectiveness to better evaluate VR's role in improving professionalism and decision-making in the field. The study contributes to filling a critical gap in understanding the practical application of VR in lighting design. • Virtual Reality for lighting: status in academia vs. professionals' use. • International survey to investigate the views of professionals. • Virtual reality as promising tool for lighting designers but rarely adopted. • Accuracy of light distribution in virtual reality expected by professionals. • Simple, intuitive, and open-source virtual reality tools required.