Examining Mixed Reality Technology Drivers and Challenges to Promote Environmental Sustainability in Residential Buildings

<p dir="ltr"><i>Residential buildings currently experience strong demands to overcome environmental issues and enhance operational efficiency. Though mixed reality (MR) offers promising solutions, the implementation for enhancing environmental sustainability is not sufficiently researched. This research investigates the factors (i.e., drivers and barriers) that affect the adoption of MR technology for residential buildings, especially regarding environmental sustainability. The study combined literature review with quantitative questionnaire data from professionals in the construction industry. Results show that the main factors which drive construction professionals to adopt MR are design optimization; energy efficiency and patterns modelling indications; life-cycle assessment; communication and visualization; and material variations and sustainability. Conversely, the key barriers to MR adoption are price and availability; skills and training development; technological limitation; complexity of integration with sustainability principles; and user adoption and acceptance. Strategic interventions should be put in place to accelerate MR adoption through cost-benefit evaluations, training programmes, demonstration projects, stakeholder partnerships, supporting policies, and targeted educational campaigns.</i></p>