5 Ways Virtual Reality Can Help You Save Cost and Time in Your Construction Project

What was a gamer’s dream a few years ago is fast becoming a game changing tool for many industries today. Yes, we are talking about Virtual Reality here. We are going to focus on how this rapidly evolving technology is transforming customer experience in construction.

Virtual Reality (VR) in simple terms is technology that takes you into a computer simulated environment that you can be in, and interact with in a realistic way. In the scenario of building construction, the simulated environment would be your dream home or commercial space. 

Basics aside, let us find out how the use of Virtual Reality technology can really help YOU build your dream construction project cheaper, faster and better TODAY!

1. Understand the design better

Basic plans & drawings on paper, photos or videos rendered from 3D models, and in some cases miniature physical models – these were all the options that designers had, to convey their designs before VR. 

All of these are useful, but they have their limitations. The biggest being that they convey the design only partially and leave the customer to imagine the rest. It can often be very difficult for customers to do that and get their feedback across to architects/designers with confidence.

With VR you walk right into the design and get to experience the architect’s idea in the first person. This way you are able to understand the design exactly as the designer envisioned, give clear early feedback and avoid costly corrections later.

2. Visualize spaces like never before

Clearly visualizing spaces from 2D drawings or photos or even 3D renders is not easy. Thanks to “Immersion” in VR, you are placed right inside your future building. You can literally walk and look around to get an accurate measure of the space that is going to be built. 

Immersion is the most important difference between VR and all the visual technologies that came before it. It has led to timely structural changes in many of our own projects and makes a huge positive impact on the cost, timeline and overall customer experience – to an extent that was simply not possible before introducing virtual reality in construction industry. 

3. Select products in a breeze

Spending days visiting showrooms of multiple brands to pick each product for your project is a thing of the past. 

With advanced VR and cloud technologies, it is possible to bring all of your favorite products and brands right into your project design in a realistic fashion. This includes everything from fittings and finishing to furniture and decor. You can also see the best deals and more to decide on your choices then and there.

So that was finishing and furnishing your entire home in a few clicks saving you time, money and hassle in the process.

Hard to believe? Plan to visit a BuildNext Experience Center and see for yourselves 😉

4. Communicate and collaborate effectively

The best part of a VR experience is that you get to walk into your dream project with your family and your architect/designer in a very comfortable and collaborative setting. This allows you to look at the design together and share your thoughts freely and effectively. 

You could even share the design with friends or relatives, inviting them to experience and share feedback using mobile VR in construction technologies. The architect/designer can then use all this feedback to refine the design to your satisfaction.

And last but not least…

5. Avoid Rework, like the plague!

The most obvious and tangible consequence of all the above is the amount of rework you are going to avoid through early feedback on design. Less or no rework means significant money, time and pain saved for everyone involved in the project.

Research suggests that rework costs amount to over 10% of total project costs on an average. Studies also indicate that more than 50% of it is design induced. That’s only the beginning of how much we can save through effective use of virtual reality technology in construction. 

Then we have similar technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) which help us do even more to improve the experience and efficiency on site, as well as in renovation or upgrade projects. More on that for another day!

Are you as excited as we are about Virtual Reality in construction? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.