Nature's Couch : A Virtual Reality Escape

This project explores the intersection of virtual reality (VR), environmental psychology, and industrial worker well-being, focusing on individuals in confined and artificial spaces—such as oil rig workers, miners, and long-distance cargo ship crews—who are excluded from green spaces and cannot access them. By creating immersive VR environments, this project aims to address the mental health challenges faced by these workers, offering virtual nature experiences as an alternative. Through a deeper understanding of worker environments, this research seeks to enhance the therapeutic potential of VR and improve overall worker well-being. A central outcome of this project is the development of a preliminary design guideline for virtual landscapes intended to support mental restoration, facilitating more effective collaboration between VR designers and landscape architects.