Potentials of Augmented Reality in a BIM based building submission process

Abstract

The digital transformation in the construction industry, which is also referred to as Construction 4.0, is gaining impact in recent years. BIM as the central point for model-based planning and communication is at the centre of this development. This paves the way for the implementation of further technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) or artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction process. However, the submission process currently receives little attention in the BIM project cycle, even though it has a significant impact on a building project. There is a huge potential for the application of BIM and AR in the building submission process. BIM allows partly automatic compliance checks to be performed. The BIM model and the results of these checks can be used as basis for the AR model. This paper investigates an application for AR in a BIM submission process. Here we show that especially the plan check process and hearings in the approval process can be improved and sped up by combining BIM and the visualization technology of AR. In this process, AR can support the building authority in checking the compliance with building regulations. Additionally, non-experts involved often have problems grasping the planned building project just based on the technical 2D plans. In this case, AR helps them to visualise the impact of the planned project and allows for better judgement. Use-cases are presented, showing strategies to improve the plan check process and assist the building authority as well as the persons involved, for both experts as well as non-experts. Finally, the requirements, technical implementations, and effects of an AR application for the plan check process are described. An AR-supported plan checking process can vastly improve the presentation of technical content. This leads to better understanding and more transparency for non-experts. Because AR is relatively easy to use, it might become ubiquitous not only to experts, but also to the general public.

Process model for international building permit benchmarking and a validation example using the Israeli building permit process

“…For example, Costa et al (2021) used a BPMN diagram to illustrate the Italian building permit case but needed to simplify it for better visibility and readability. Also, Shahi et al (2019) and Schranz et al (2021) modeled process steps in a free style way. This leads in most cases to the desired expression of the authors' intention but makes the information hardly comparable with other data sets due to its demand of interpretation.…”

Integrating Construction 4.0 Technologies: A Four-Layer Implementation Plan

“…The other used technology is AR. The authors worked on different use-cases for AR in Construction 4.0 (Gerger et al, 2020;Schranz et al, 2020;Schranz et al, 2021). AR is one of the emerging technologies which have a great potential to transform the construction industry.…”

Design, Development, and Validation of an Augmented Reality-Enabled Production Strategy Process

“…Construction 4.0 can be defined as "the digitization and industrialization of the industry that 1) enable real-time, horizontal, and vertical integration and connectivity of stakeholders across the construction project lifecycle, 2) promote the advancement of construction processes by employing mechanization and automation, and 3) bridge the gap between the physical and cyber environments" (El Jazzar et al, 2021). Among the technologies encompassed under the umbrella of Construction 4.0, augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology that has great potential to transform the construction industry (Rüßmann et al, 2015;Schranz et al, 2021). In the context of the construction industry, Nassereddine et al (2019) defined AR both as an information aggregator and a data publishing platform that allows the user to 1) passively view displayed information, 2) actively engage and interact with published content, and 3) collaborate with others in real-time from remote locations.…”

“…Rathnasinghe et al (2020) explored the potential of AR to improve information management and successfully complete a construction project. Schranz et al (2021) investigated an application of AR into the BIM submission process where the process plan check and approval can be accelerated when combining BIM with the visualization capability of AR.…”