The Potential of Augmented Reality Architecture
The Potential of Augmented Reality Architecture
Solution: ZP will keep you up to date on emerging developments in AR use and availability.
Imagine being able to see your building project as if it's already completed. You can walk around and explore the space, checking for potential problems with the layout or design.
This is now possible with augmented reality architecture. Augmented reality allows you to "test drive" your ideas before you even start building.
In this article, we will discuss the potential of this tool and how it can help you streamline the development process.
Defining Augmented Reality in Architecture
In order to fully grasp what augmented reality is when it comes to architecture, it’s helpful to understand Extended Reality (XR).
XR is a term that encompasses the entire realm of interactive digital experiences. This includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). Each of these is a tool to provide an immersive, 3D environment with which users can interact.
Virtual reality provides a computer-generated world in which one can explore. This is usually with visual or auditory stimuli. Augmented reality enhances the user's physical environment with digital objects laid over real life through an app on a smartphone or tablet. Mixed reality involves layering virtual objects over the physical environment while retaining their relationship to them through the use of a specialized headset.
Extended reality is transforming how we think about technology and how it can be used in everyday life —from entertainment and gaming to medicine and engineering. Within the context of architecture, AR is proving to be a valuable tool.
Augmented reality in architecture refers to technology that superimposes 3D images (such as architectural models) onto what’s actually in front of them. This can be done with anything from a smartphone, to a tablet, to an AR headset, using specialized software programming.
Augmented reality allows the user to access BIM (Building Information Modeling) on-site, whether they use Revit, SketchUp, or another 3D design application. Gone are the days when construction engineers had to scramble through mountains of paper on a job site to find a specific piece of information. Now they can use augmented reality tools on their mobile devices, pull up their BIM model, and easily pull up any digital information they need on the go.
With the use of AR, this same data is presented in a 3D format that’s easily accessible and far easier to navigate. What’s more, AR gives architects and other professionals the ability to see exactly how the completed building will look from the inside out. It also provides them with reliable data and images. This is extremely useful, as it helps to prevent potential clashes within the design plans (ex., beams colliding with ductwork).
Augmented Reality is the proverbial jack-of-all-trades, making it a valuable tool in design, construction, and even inspection. From ideation all the way through to operations after completion, AR eliminates tedious tasks for people throughout every stage of development.
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How AR is Used in Construction, Engineering, and Architecture
Architecture, construction, and engineering professionals use augmented reality technology in many different ways. Let’s go through some of the most significant ways in which it is being used today.
Planning
Since its creation, augmented reality has changed the architecture and design game. It allows us to expose the complexity of built environments.
Using augmented reality technology, we can analyze the most intricate details of structural composition. We can not only study proportion and space relationships, but also position orientation. Of course, this also takes into account the entirety of a structure's surroundings.
Here’s a practical example: You are designing a new high-rise building in a bustling downtown area. Augmented reality can provide you with a much better understanding of how the building will interact with its surroundings (other buildings, roads, sunlight, etc.).
By using a 3D model of the building, overlayed onto the real-world environment with an AR headset or smart device, architects can review and make changes to the design while still on the job site.
Plus, augmented reality can be used to validate material finishes before projects are started in earnest — eliminating costly mistakes as construction progresses.
Augmented reality also allows us to consider environmental and social aspects that go beyond what meets the eye.
By utilizing new technology to simulate the environmental and social effects of various projects, from small home renovations to large-scale citywide renovations, designers now have the ability to consider these aspects before ever breaking ground.
Site Organization
Augmented reality (AR) technology is increasingly used to improve safety and organization in construction sites. It can be used to help identify potential hazards, as well as reduce the risk of accidents or injuries.
By utilizing 3D models and images, workers can have a better view of the site layout and more easily recognize potential danger areas. The technology also allows for the precise organization of job site materials and equipment. It is then easier for workers to find what they need quickly and without confusion.
AR can also be used to provide visual instructions for tasks with a quick reference guide. This helps workers stay on task while reducing their risk of injury.
Augmented reality technology is especially useful for underground construction projects. This is because it can allow project planners and architects to overlay GIS data onto a 3D image of the proposed construction site, providing a more accurate view of what lies beneath.
With virtual simulations, engineers can examine subsurface conditions and run feasibility studies on underground infrastructure designs before any physical work is done. This saves time and money and reduces the risk of costly mistakes from unexpected obstructions or other variables that may not have been considered.
Augmented reality can also be used to provide real-time feedback during the excavation process. This allows operators to detect potential hazards (like unstable ground conditions) before any damage occurs.
AR's ability to accurately visualize location-based data through 3D models offers project stakeholders a better understanding of how their plans will look in the real world. This helps ensure that all parties agree with the design outcome before starting work on site.
Real-time collaboration
Augmented reality technology facilitates real-time collaboration in a variety of ways. For example, architects, contractors, and other stakeholders can view the 3D model on their device of choice and make changes in real-time on site.
This increases effective communication between teams. What’s more, it improves decision-making based on visualizing the project in its current state, compared to the final design plans.
Using augmented reality technology, multiple users can see the same 3D model at the same time from different angles and points of view. They get a much better sense of the entire project’s progress than simply looking at a static image or 2D map.
Ongoing Inspections
Augmented reality enables faster inspection processes, requiring less hands on deck.
Inspectors simply use smart glasses equipped with cameras to capture images on site. The captured images are instantly uploaded into a cloud-based system. That gives stakeholders immediate access from anywhere in the world while saving them time bouncing between sites.
Language barriers and miscommunication between site workers on international projects can cause delays. Augmented reality technology can mitigate these delays with translation software. That means everyone working on site can communicate seamlessly, regardless of their native language.
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Examples of AR Technologies Being Used Today
While the market is constantly changing and new technologies are being developed, a few existing augmented reality technologies stand out as driving forces in the industry.
Here is a quick breakdown of just a handful of examples.
HoloLens
One of the most notable examples of augmented reality technology being used in construction is Microsoft’s HoloLens. The headset allows users to construct 3D models and view them in a virtual environment. This technology helps stakeholders visualize their plans in real-time and also provides data-driven insights into how the project will look once completed.
Augment
Augment is a powerful software as a service (SaaS) platform available for smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android). It lets users turn their 2D sketches into 3D models and then view those 3D models overlayed on a real surface.
Morpholio AR Sketchwalk
Similar to Augment, Morpholio AR Sketchwalk is an augmented reality app that makes presenting projects interactive. Users physically walk a potential job site and see how the project will look throughout each phase of construction before the ground is ever broken.
Measurement Apps
Little did you know, you may already have AR technology on your smartphone.
There are plenty of apps you can use to measure real-life objects with a smartphone or tablet. Workers can use apps to make accurate measurements on the fly through augmented reality technology.
Fologram
This is a program designed to be used in conjunction with AR glasses (like HoloLens), to 3D models into life-sized construction or assembly instructions. This reduces the need for physical blueprints, as the instructions are displayed right in front of the user in an easy to understand way, and allows less experienced workers to complete more complicated tasks.
GAMMA AR
This program overlays BIM 3D buildings onto the real construction site via a smartphone or tablet. It then allows the user to track progress and correct or avoid errors without having to scramble through pages of blueprints.
The Benefits of AR in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)
As if you weren’t already convinced by now, AR comes with a host of benefits for the world of AEC.
Here’s a breakdown of the ways in which it’s already making AEC professionals’ lives easier.
Improved Collaboration
Augmented reality technology is improving collaboration. It provides all stakeholders (on and off site) a way to interact with projects in a virtual space, in real-time. This bridges the gap between designers and contractors, enabling them to communicate more efficiently, leading to fewer delays caused by miscommunication.
Improved Safety
Augmented reality allows workers on-site to understand safety protocols more clearly than ever before, as they can access visual simulations of potential dangers or hazardous situations directly in their line of vision. It also allows managers to organize construction sites in the safest way possible.
Increased Efficiency & Accuracy
AR glasses and other augmented reality technologies eliminate time-consuming steps, improve accuracy, and reduce design clashes. Plus, they simplify progress tracking with real-time updates without having to consult a paper document or manually inspect the site. This type of technology minimizes the number of people it takes for inspection of sites and progress.
Reduced Cost & Time
Finally, augmented reality technology also helps reduce both the time and cost of projects. It provides an efficient way to visualize changes, detect errors, and save companies (and their clients) from major setbacks.
Further reading: 13 Questions to Ask Your Commercial Architect
The Future of Augmented Reality in Architecture
The future of augmented reality in architecture is bright, to say the least. The combination of augmented reality technology and artificial intelligence offers endless possibilities for architectural design.
Augmented reality could bring higher precision and speed in the examination of properties, 3D models, and site plan. Similarly, incorporating AI in this process would allow for automated site analysis. Augmented reality technology can identify potential issues like construction risks, and optimize design approaches. This frees up designers, as they won’t need to manually consider these factors anymore.
This would create a whole new level of efficiency, while creating formidably accurate designs. Imagine again: a designer could review their work almost instantly, and make informed decisions with greater confidence.
Ultimately, this approach stands to revolutionize the design process as we know it today. It will deliver unprecedented accuracy and reliability for project developers worldwide.
Another potential use of augmented reality is in safety training. Workers on construction sites would receive virtual simulations tailored specifically to their tasks. This will help them stay up-to-date with safety protocols, while also reducing risks associated with unsafe work practices.
Augmented reality could also be used for remote engineering and design collaboration. This could eliminate the need for expensive travel, further accelerating the design process. It will make it possible for architects, engineers, and other stakeholders to interact with each other in a virtual environment. This might extend as far as allowing users to walk around the structure and review it in real time before the construction even begins.
Conclusion
Augmented reality has the potential to revolutionize the entire architecture industry. It offers a number of advantages that can make life easier for architects, engineers, and other stakeholders alike.
With the help of this technology, it’s possible to improve communication between teams, enhance safety protocols on construction sites, reduce costs and delays caused by miscommunication, increase efficiency and accuracy, and more.
The possibilities of augmented reality in architecture seem endless, and this technology is sure to become a powerful tool for the industry in years to come.
