Leveraging XR in AEC education focusing on occupant behavior-related building energy use: A systematic review

Extended reality (XR) is transforming architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education and occupant behavior (OB)-related building energy use analysis. This study conducts a systematic review using the PRISMA framework to explore the latest XR applications in these domains. The Visualization of Similarities (VOS) and network mapping analysis were used to explore research trends. A critical examination of existing research revealed that XR in AEC education primarily enhances educational methods, data management, and simulation techniques. In OB-related building energy use analysis, XR focuses on building data management, control systems, and performance simulations. The review indicates a predominant use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), with Mixed Reality (MR) remaining underexploited. Given the overlap in educational and analytical applications, a unified approach that uses XR to educate AEC professionals and promote energy- efficient behaviors among building occupants is proposed. This integrated approach promises to leverage XR to educate and promote energy-saving energy use behavior. Finally, the review proposes that future research in XR in AEC education focusing on occupant behavior-related building energy use should focus on comparative and benchmarking studies to explore longitudinal research in the XR modalities, especially MR, which remains underexploited.