Immersive virtual reality allows showing people virtual environments with high levels of presence, realism, and “feeling of being”, as if they were in the real world. With this aim, virtual environments must provide proper light distributions and elicit sensations similar to those seen in the real world. So far, experiments with human subjects are the most effective way to evaluate the accuracy of virtual reality in reproducing real spaces. This paper investigates the role of subjective assessments in lighting research using virtual reality. According to the review results, the investigations aimed at using immersive virtual reality for lighting can mainly be divided into three groups: (i) comparison between virtual and physical environments, (ii) analysis of different lighting scenarios, and (iii) investigation of users’ interaction with the virtual model. On the one hand, the results show that immersive virtual reality is a useful tool for research and design in lighting. On the other hand, they highlight the limitations that still need to be overcome. Finally, the main findings and gaps concerning the subjective assessment were listed.

Green areas and parks are places where people’s quality of life improves, places of recreation and relaxation, in which to carry out various social activities. Among these, the historic gardens represent the union between green areas and historic architecture. Light is considered one of the main factors influencing the perception of such spaces at night; therefore, lighting solutions should be properly balanced. Immersive virtual reality is a tool that allows for lighting design management from different viewpoints. This study investigates how the lighting of a monumental garden affects people’s perception of its architecture at night. With this aim, a detailed 3D model of the western part of Escorial’s monumental complex in Spain was built in DIALux evo 11 and Unreal Engine 4.27 and used to propose six different lighting scenarios. Participants viewed the scenarios through a head-mounted display and provided subjective feedback on the perceived light strength of the environment and architecture. Results highlight that illuminating surrounding areas affects the environment and building perception, as well as the order in which elements capture observer attention. In particular, lit elements between the observer and the façade can reduce façade importance.