Managing indoor comfort through virtual reality: a scoping review of post-occupancy design evaluation in educational buildings

This scoping review examines how virtual reality (VR) was used between 2014 and 2024 to evaluate indoor environmental comfort in educational buildings. It examines VR as a complementary tool within post-occupancy and design evaluation, mapping the comfort dimensions addressed, assessment approaches used, and gaps affecting comfort-informed decision-making. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology, four databases, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and ScienceDirect, were systematically searched. A total of 4,669 records were retrieved, 1,113 duplicates were removed, and 3,556 titles and abstracts were screened. Of the 85 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 28 empirical studies published between 2014 and 2024 were included in the review. Data extraction covered comfort dimensions, assessment methods, VR technology, participant type, study context, and thematic insights relevant to design evaluation. Visual comfort was the most frequently assessed dimension, followed by general comfort, spatial comfort, acoustic comfort, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. Thematic analysis revealed deeper engagement with spatial comfort and biophilic design than with visual comfort, which was often addressed superficially. Half of the studies used hybrid assessment approaches combining subjective and objective measures. Key gaps were identified in population diversity, reporting standardisation, validation against real-world conditions, and coverage of indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Unlike earlier syntheses focused on broader immersive technologies, bibliometric patterns, or individual comfort domains, this review integrates evidence across the major IEQ dimensions specifically within educational buildings and positions VR as a decision-support tool for post-occupancy assessment, stakeholder engagement, and early-stage design or retrofit decisions.