How AR, BIM, and Building Technology will boost your 2021 projects
Four ways in which the right technology and mindset will improve your communication, quality, and project outcomes in today’s challenging construction industry
A recent report of the McKinsey Engineering, Construction and Building Materials Practice, had global leaders assess the repercussions of the pandemic on the construction market, and more specifically report on its economic impact on the construction industry, with lingering effects most likely until 2023. In the report, McKinsey notes:
“A combination of increasingly stringent sustainability requirements, rising cost pressure, labor scarcity, and new available materials, production approaches, and digital tools are forcing the industry to innovate.”
Where some builders see a half-empty opportunity, others see half-full. The difference? The builders who see opportunity are the ones that combine innovation and technology to optimise project and resource management, improve building quality control, and save costs.
How will leveraging your BIM and construction technology get you to 2021?
Want in on the success formula? Here are four proven methods for succeeding in todays’ building construction technology environment:
1. Create a shared reality for your construction project
If you are like most builders of large, complex projects, you have a team of architects, designers, and engineers who work with 3D models. You’ll also have a team of on-site workers constructing the building. The latter will typically have limited or no access to the 3D models, relying mostly on the 2D paper models previously created and printed.
With everyone working from a different reality, it’s no wonder that the biggest construction costs are related to errors happening at the job site. Miscommunication and mismatched plans are a certified plan for failure.
How can you decrease these unwanted construction planning costs? Get a BIM.
Providing everyone in your ecosystem – regardless of their location – with real-time access to your BIM will result in :
- more accurate project cost estimates
- faster planning
- less rework and construction defects
What is a BIM?
The Building Information Modeling (BIM) combines 3D models of the different disciplines – architectural, structural, energy, electrical, etc. – into a standardized model that ensures continuity across a commercial project planning, design, and development. It is a tool for sharing all project knowledge for every construction job. The BIM digitally generates and manages the information during the lifecycle of building projects.
Want to see what is involved with moving from 2D paper plans to augmented Reality from any device? Make the move – check out this video conversation with GenieVision’s CEO Philippe Carême to help you further understand.
2. Make it an augmented reality
Getting everyone on the same page is a good start. Now, make the page – indeed your entire BIM – dynamic and actionable by using Augmented Reality (AR).
Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and Augmented Reality have become standard in many industries. But today, use of Augmented Reality by construction professionals is expanding – just in time to meet the new challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Making your BIM accessible in the right AR platform lets everyone monitor the current reality of your project – not what was planned, but what is really happening – at all stages of construction.
Giving everyone access to the same 3D BIM data ensures that standards are met, and quality control is assured. Detect and address any construction flaws, inconsistencies, and non-conformities before they become significant problems that can cost you time, money, and your reputation.
What is construction AR?
Augmented Reality or AR delivers computer-generated elements in a life-like, virtual manner onto the real-life environment of people. In construction, this usually involves bringing the design plans to life by visualising 3D building plans on site of the construction area through a mobile device or headwear. This AR visualization technique enables all construction professionals with access to this (BIM) data (like architects, safety engineers, electricians) to benchmark the 3D plan with the on-site reality, spot mistakes before they have a substantial impact, and report back with comments and illustrations into the BIM system. By optimising the 3D plan with new project findings, the next inspection will run more smoothly.
3. MR will make it fun
Fully realising the benefits of AR in the construction industry means getting all parties – from architects to designers to engineers to contractors – to use the BIM at all stages of construction. Merging technical expertise assessments and different responsibilities pouring in from different locations can be overwhelming for the one person who is monitoring the helicopter overview during on-site inspections. How can you make it fun, not overwhelming? Make it truly interactive.
Apps like Genievision makes the 3D BIM quickly accessible on a device all of these users are familiar with: an iPhone or iPad. Its video-game-like interface is accessible for all users to navigate. On-site automated positioning means operators do not need to be tech-savvy to view the 3D models experience. And thanks to the nifty occlusion feature, you’re not just adding a layer on the reality, you’re mixing the virtual with the real situation. The different layers blend into one another, providing you with a more accurate view. Mixed reality will truly enable to assess what is, what it could be, what you’d like it to be, and what it should be. An easy path to adopt construction technology.
Wait, won’t MR mix up the reporting?
Not to worry, the cloud infrastructure has got you covered to make communication easy and accurate. Real-time alerts and reports give designers and engineers immediate feedback from the job site on issues or errors. All involved parties receive the right feedback, and consequently, can take appropriate action immediately.
Need proof? Try it out for yourself: meet us here : www.genievision.com/meet-us/
4. Lean as you go, plan for the future
The pandemic may have upended our global economy, but we need to prepare for the construction market emerging for the better. Especially if we can smarten up how we go about. Smart project managers are taking steps today to ensure a successful future tomorrow:
- Long-term – expand your ecosystem
- Mid-term – build partnerships
- Short-term – optimise your business & tech setup
Making the right investments in construction technology gives project managers the resources to improve procedures, monitoring, and communications. These improvements support today’s projects’ structural and quality control while paving the way to more significant projects down the road.
Ready to slash those costs and improve the lifecycle of your construction project – from design to conception to construction to maintenance?
Discover how AR brings value to your projects
Get the support of GenieVision to access your BIM throughout the lifecycle of your project, from design to conception, and from construction to maintenance.
Finally, how leveraging your BIM and Building Construction technology will get you through 2021?
Why AR/MR in construction?
Construction professionals are discovering how a layered visualization of 3D plans allows them to segment the construction project in a structured and thus optimalised manner. By visualising the lay of the construction land, errors get spotted sooner, failure costs are reduced by up to 50% in some cases, and overall communication is improved. Technology solutions providers often deliver a cloud SaaS software that can be perfectly integrated with numerous BIM setups, and a user-friendly, intuitive app. On-site workers get to do a better job, construction professionals get to build better buildings, occupants of the building get a flawless infrastructure according to the design plans.
What is a BIM?
The Building Information Model (BIM) is construction knowledge sharing tool. The BIM combines 3D models of the different disciplines involved in the construction process – architectural, structural, energy, electrical, etc. – into a standardized model that ensures continuity across a commercial project planning, design, and development. The BIM digitally collates and manages the information during the life cycle of building projects. A BIM platform enables all involved construction partners to work on the same, continuously updated building plans. Working through a BIM helps to reduce errors and speeds up delivery times.
What is construction AR?
Augmented Reality or AR delivers computer-generated elements in a life-like, virtual manner onto the real-life environment of people. In construction, this usually involves bringing the design plans to life by visualizing 3D building plans on site of the construction area through a mobile device or headwear. This AR visualization technique enables all construction professionals with access to this (BIM) data (like architects, safety engineers, electricians) to benchmark the 3D plan with the on-site reality, spot mistakes before they have a chance of happening, and report back with comments and illustrations into the BIM system. By optimizing the 3D plan with new project findings, a new inspection will run more smoothly.