Iranian Sustainable Building Scientific Association International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability 2538-1628 7 1 2026 05 01 Modeling Psychological Interactions in Virtual Architecture: A Mediating Analysis of Sensory-Visual Perception Using PLS-SEM 102 111 735689 10.22034/ijumes.2026.2078230.1345 EN Ali Modaberian Department of Architecture, Ta. C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 0009-0000-7277-3895 Sahar Toofan Department of Architecture, Ta. C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0002-1298-513X Nima Valizadeh Department of Architecture, Ta. C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0001-9711-460X Journal Article 2025 11 18 This study was conducted with the aim of modeling the psychological interactions between the designer and the user in virtual architectural space and examining the role of these interactions in the formation of sensory–visual perception. Despite the expansion of the use of virtual reality technologies, augmented reality, and interactive environments in architecture, understanding how environmental features are transformed into the user’s perceptual experience still faces conceptual and analytical gaps. Accordingly, the present research explains this process by presenting a structural model based on three constructs: “virtual architecture,” “psychological interactions,” and “sensory–visual perception.” The research method is based on a quantitative approach and the use of structural equation modeling with the partial least squares method (PLS-SEM). Data were collected through a questionnaire with the participation of 250 students and individuals familiar with virtual architectural environments. The results showed that virtual architecture has a positive and significant effect on psychological interactions, and these interactions also have a direct and strong effect on sensory–visual perception. In contrast, the direct effect of virtual architecture on perception, in the presence of the mediating variable, was weaker and reported with a negative direction, while the total effect remained positive. These findings indicate that spatial perception in virtual environments is not formed directly, but rather through the user’s active cognitive, behavioral–social, and educational engagement with the environment. The framework presented in this study can serve as a basis for designing interactive virtual environments, especially in architectural education. https://www.ijumes.com/article_735689_c682b1621b1d0c07f82fa1ed55c40f63.pdf