###### Abstract  
Virtual reality (VR) can potentially enhance various design and construction assessment intensive tasks, such as construction design and review. However, it may lead to cognitive overload, adversely affecting the participants' performance. It is critical to understand the effects of VR cognitive behavior for implementing VR technology in the construction industry. The principal objective of this study was to investigate the participants' cognitive load (CL), task performance (TP), and situational awareness (SA) in the VR environment for the evaluation of building design review tasks. Participants were asked to review the design task based on their memory knowledge and understanding in one of the three environments: paper-based, monitor-based, and immersive virtual environment. Participants' CL was measured using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA TLX), TP was evaluated on completion time and the number of errors correctly detected, and situational awareness (SA) was assessed using the Situational Awareness and Review Technique (SART). The statistical results show a high CL and better performance in the immersive virtual environment. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of cognitive process characteristics and capabilities for design review activities in the VR environment. virtual reality; BIM; design review; cognitive load; task performance; immersive virtual reality +
Footnote †: journal: Applied  
and interaction with the real world and its components as VR technologies combine the information system and immersive environments. BIM-based VR technologies enable the project stakeholders to walk through a virtual environment (VE) while viewing the 1:1 scale three-dimensional (3D) model. Users can navigate the model with the same scale as the actual one and review the design of buildings, e.g., sill level of the windows and doors, ceiling height, and beam-column size [12]. Understanding the significance of the Virtual Reality Environment (VRE) is important because it creates the intermediate design for the organization that can evaluate design at the time of critical analysis [4]. Most of the time, design review meetings in the VRE require modifications between different components of architecture design [13]. During the project phase, the important decision regarding cost, quality, and schedule influence the overall construction estimate. So, in the design review meeting, each activity and its related material and specifications are discussed. In the end, amendments are made in the initial draft before the commencement of actual construction. VR in the construction design visualization represents the experiential architecture human experience in the real world and is expected to boost construction efficiency and save cost and time [14]. As a result, VR helps the cognitive-based construction tasks, including assembly placing [15], arrangement and inspection [16], and minimizing mental effort and task completion time. VR can improve spatial and conceptual learning, immersion and presence, and cognitive and psychomotor outcomes. However, studies have demonstrated that when it comes to cognitive effects such as knowledge and understanding, Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) does not outperform the traditional approaches or Non-Immersive Virtual Reality (NIVR). Since IVR is a 3D, 360\({}^{\circ}\) experience, this would likely provide more information than the traditional methods [17]. Immersive interaction can lead to cognitive effects, waste of time, loss of access to reality, and powerful emotions [18]. Augmented reality frequently supports users' cognitive abilities by providing superimposed information. However, such knowledge can cause cognitive overload, which might negatively impact the participants' performance [19]. [PERSON] studied that VR training may help individuals with their cognitive and executive function [20].