We’ve all heard about virtual reality and augmented reality from the entertainment industry. Over the past few years, these technologies have grown far and wide, becoming a major turn point in the gaming world. Over one million VR headsets were sold for gaming purposes in 2017 generating widespread popularity and acceptance for the technology.
VR offers an immersive experience that does not only have an application for gaming but also for the construction industry. Imagine being able to walk and experience the home you’ve been hoping to build before it is built. This is how virtual reality has transformed the real estate industry.
This realization has been fairly recent and the construction companies that adopted it have had a great head start. Although the equipment and interface aren’t cheap investments and require intensive staff training to be able to work, it is nevertheless becoming a norm for the industry. This technology claims higher closes, greater customer satisfaction, and better quality of work. Virtual reality has a lot of benefits to offer, particularly for the sensitive nature of this industry.
Here are a few most notable advantages that virtual reality brings to the construction industry.
Better Scanning
Visualization is the key in the construction world. However, two-dimension blueprints printed on paper or the three-dimension visualizations created on the computer offer little real feel. There’s always room for doubt as you can never be 100% sure the things you see on the computer will actually feel the same way. There have been instances where constructions have failed to please the investors or have been slightly off the hook for one reason or another.
Virtual reality enables the customer to view and experience their homes in a much life-like situation, enabling them to make adjustments when they can possibly be done. There’s nothing more disappointing than realizing your pieces of furniture or equipment has missed its spot by an inch or so. Planning is easier, realistic, and on-point.
Scanning premises via drones and using this visual for building augmented reality does not only give a more accurate idea of space and construction results but also saves builders from costly reworks. Which brings us to the next point…
Saving from Errors
Anybody can imagine how drastically damaging construction errors can be. From an extremely misshapen site to expensive reworks, construction blunders are one of a kind. Virtual reality saves time, money and effort for everyone. They can see it beforehand and plan contingencies accordingly.
No amount of experience or proficiency in using the computer can completely eliminate the possibility of an overlooked fact. Virtual reality, on the other hand, highlights such problem areas well in advance simply by being the closest representation of the future reality.
Maybe the skylight is slightly different than what the property owner wants. Or maybe the third room in the hall, which looked good on paper, seems to have zero utility in real. Even land issues where the foundation is misplaced or incomplete can be highlighted via virtual reality. Reworks will be minimal, if at all.
Continuous Development
The people in this industry are fully aware of the fact that the initially approved blueprint is never really final. There will be changes happening along the way. The timelines and materials will change. The placements might change. With virtual reality solutions, these changes are implemented in real-time with minimal rework. It is always easier to fix something beforehand rather than break it down and reconstruct from the scratch.
Maybe the property owners decide to change a certain aspect of the home/building in line with current trends. Or maybe they want to put in something that wasn’t there before seeing the progress of the construction. VR aids in continuous development, shaping the project closer to customer needs.
Not only this, construction workers and managers can monitor the site development on a daily basis, making sure the project is headed in the right direction. This ensures deadlines are met and if there’s any substantial deviation from the schedule, it is immediately highlighted and informed. It is taking “being on the same page” to a whole different level!
Safety and Quality
Virtual reality technology that construction companies use is apt at identifying challenges. They are constantly monitoring the site, tracking onsite dangers for construction workers along with the development. Managers can, therefore, ensure better safety protocol for employees working onsite, ensuring compliance with the highest standard of security. As it is, construction is a high-risk industry. Virtual reality helps in reducing the number of preventable accidents onsite, saving productive work hours, medical bills, employee motivation and more.
Besides this, the quality of work is also maintained at an all-time high. VR does not only monitor physical progress but the technology can scan for procedural shortcomings as well. In fact, managers can see how employees are going about their chores, ensuring the right processes are being followed.
VR can also help in guiding the construction workers in real-time, showing them (via their VR headsets) how the job at hand needs to be done. This is particularly beneficial for training new hires on-the-job.
Customer Experience and Feedback
Architects working on behalf of the construction company need to look out for a million things and they’d naturally prioritize their own feasibility. However, the end customer may have valuable feedback/contribution to offer if they are consulted in a timely manner.
This stands particularly true for institutions like hotels, schools, hospitals, community centers, hostels and more. These purpose-built sites can be made all the more useful when the end consumer is taken into confidence. VR does just that.
Minor changes that can have major utility can be taken into account through a virtual reality tour of the site. People who live/work at such sites are fully aware of the challenges they face and how they can be improved. VR gives them an opportunity to be heard. It’s no wonder that client satisfaction is higher for companies using this technology constructively.
Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR) in collaboration with Building Information Modeling offers a competitive edge for construction companies. The early adopters are already benefiting from the various benefits offered by this technology. The next few years will see rampant use of Virtual Reality technologies in several other fields as well.
