Immersive and Interactive Workspaces for Collaborative Design

Develop the information architecture and framework for implementing intelligent workspaces in a high quality digital media environment to facilitate rich interactions with building information models, simulation and analysis tools for integrated teams. Through richer interactions and reduction in auxiliary cognitive load, the team can more rapidly reach decisions on integrated decisions for energy retrofits. The overall project focuses on this theme with the following main objectives : (1) understanding multi stakeholder requirements (such as collaborative design teams, facility managers) while they interact with such immersive and interactive workspaces and (2) evaluating various immersive and interactive environments in terms of satisfying the identified requirements, and understanding the characteristics of different immersive and interactive workspaces in terms of facilitating rich interactions with building information models, simulation and analysis tools for multi stakeholder decision making in energy efficient retrofits.


  • Frazier, J., Akinci, B., and Ergan, S. (2013). “ An approach for capturing requirements of collaborative design teams to facilitate evaluation of energy efficient retrofit design options”, Proceedings of Architecture Engineering Institute, Pennsylvania State University, April 3-5, 2013, State College, USA, pp. 123-132. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/9780784412909.013.

  • Yang, X., Liu, Y., Ergan, S., Akinci, B., Leicht, R., and Messner, J. (2013). “Lessons learned from developing immersive virtual mock-ups to support energy efficient retrofit decision making”, Proceedings of ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, June 23-25, 2013, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, pp. 210-217. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/9780784413029.027.

  • Yang, S., Ergan, S., and Knox, K. (2014). “Information requirements for evaluating advanced energy retrofit design options in immersive and interactive work settings,” Journal of Buildings (under review).