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Editorial: virtual reality technology in architecture and construction

The discussion above has presented the communication concept as a wide framework covering all kinds of interaction between individuals where we have a message to be sent and received. Information technology should naturally provide the necessary services for a successful communication. In technical terms we may first focus on data transfer, its possibilities and implications for true communication purposes. From a human viewpoint we are aiming at a dialogue. A genuine and effective communication can enable dialogue where individuals are together creating new innovations, entrepreneurship and commitment. This would naturally require that the communication infrastructure can fully maintain and support the dialogue. Advanced information technology can have a vital role here. In the complex businesses and operations involved in architecture and construction it is not often easy at all to achieve the described target situation. In practice due to cumbersome or otherwise too much time-consuming communication people tend to minimise all required communication with other participants in the process. Research results are highlighting that this is causing severe disturbances that are widely affecting the activities of other partners and the final product (Lahdenpera, 1995). The described overall situation is a big challenge for the research and development community. An obvious solution is to provide easy-to-use communication solutions for all different stakeholders in architecture and construction. The desirable target system is one where all those involved would have a good understanding of the building object on their own terms, at any time, and without trouble. Virtual Reality technology seems to be eminently suited to this purpose. Virtual Reality (VR) can be defined to be a computer generated environment that can utilise visual, auditory and haptic (touch and force) channels for communication between a user and a computer (Kalawsky, 1993). Through this VR is giving the user an experience of being surrounded or immersed in a virtual, computer simulated environment. Applications of VR have clearly been an area of increasing research and development activities in architecture and construction.