Defense Date

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Interior Design

First Advisor

Kristin Carleton

Second Advisor

Roberto Ventura

Abstract

This research contributes to interior design scholarship by situating immersive virtual reality (VR) as an efficiency tool and an architectural visualization tool within adaptive reuse and historic preservation practice. Interior designers are increasingly tasked with mediating between cultural heritage, community stakeholders, regulatory constraints, and economic feasibility, in buildings that already exist. By positioning VR as a tool with utility across every stage of the design process, this study expands interior design research beyond material and spatial interventions to include storytelling and technological innovation as drivers for design decision-making. The work bridges interior design, preservation, and participatory planning, demonstrating how immersive technologies can support socially sustainable adaptive reuse outcomes.

The central research question guiding this study is: How can virtual reality be used to encourage the adaptive reuse of historic buildings by aligning stakeholders around a shared vision of cultural, social, and economic value? The research specifically investigates whether immersive visualization of past and future states of a historic interior can mitigate common barriers to adaptive reuse, such as community resistance, uncertainty around authenticity, fragmented stakeholder priorities, and difficulty communicating long-term value.

A qualitative case study methodology is employed, centered on the Moore Street School, an abandoned late-19th-century historic school building in Richmond, Virginia. The study combines literature synthesis on sustainable adaptive reuse and urban planning research on VR for community engagement. A low-cost, accessible VR workflow is developed using photogrammetry deployed on an Oculus Quest 2 headset to create an experience between the current conditions of the building and a proposed design concept grounded in the building’s history. The methodology emphasizes feasibility, acknowledging technological limitations while prioritizing experiential clarity over technical perfection.

Initial findings suggest that immersive VR strengthens stakeholder engagement by enhancing presence, emotional resonance, and shared understanding of spatial potential. Participants reported that VR made abstract preservation goals more concrete, supported empathy toward the building’s cultural history, and clarified how adaptive reuse could serve contemporary community needs. The research demonstrates that high-fidelity digital twins are not required for meaningful impact; rather, strategically constructed immersive narratives can effectively support consensus-building and advocacy. The study concludes that VR has significant potential as an interior design research and practice tool for adaptive reuse, particularly when deployed in service of equity-focused heritage preservation and community-centered design outcomes.

Rights

© 2026 Christie Chirinos

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-7-2026

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