VIRTUAL REALITY AS A DESIGN AND VISUALISATION TOOL IN THE HOUSEBUILDING INDUSTRY The housebuilding industry

Improving the quality of residential design is currently a research focus in Britain. However, little work has been done on the strategic use of IT to promote innovation in the British housebuilding industry. Advanced computer techniques can greatly facilitate the visualisation and appraisal of alternative design. The potential of virtual reality as a design and visualisation tool warrants consideration. Drawing on development work and an industrial survey of British house builders, a framework for the implementation of virtual reality is developed. This is discussed within the context of the house building process and housing developers ’ current use of IT for design and visualisation