Three Cornell professors used virtual reality to create and expand on their research project Virtual Places. The study of architecture and video games is a growing focus. Within academia and practice, VR is a tool which helps unpack architectural ideas for learning as well as creating visualization possibilities for clients. Epic Games Inc., a video game and software development company known for creating the popular online game Fortnite, selected Professor Henry Richardson, Assistant Professor Timur Dogan, and Assistant Professor of the Practice Martin Miller as winners of a cash prize out of a pool of invited finalists for the international competition.

According to Richardson, "Virtual Places was launched this spring with a research seminar called Gaming Architecture. Both upper-class undergraduates and graduate students 'stress tested' several VR programs, including UE4, to match their capabilities with desired real-time design workflows."

The emergence of new possibilities and technologies for architecture and urban design continues to grow as architects explore VR capabilities within practice. Other than real-world application, research, and implementation within the gaming world, several architects and firms use VR to understand where the limitations of spatial design and construction can be broken and rewritten.

Assistant Professor of Practice Martin Miller shared in Cornell's press release: "VR is an exceedingly powerful tool – being able to jump in and out of the environment from the onset of a design project to test and specify materials continuously with immediate feedback is a game changer [...] VR makes it possible to understand the implications of different material selections and refine choices based on the quality of space before specifying and ultimately constructing something."