Augmented Reality Building: The Future of the Industry?

Using Augmented Reality in Building construction is one of the top revolutionary innovations across the building, design and construction industry along with Prefabricated or modular construction and technological integrations in the supply chain. It is projected that in 2022, the distribution of augmented and mixed reality market will grow to 14% in the engineering industry and 7% in real estate.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that adds digital information layers to physical environments using sounds, videos or graphics. One example of AR technology would be the popular mobile game Pokémon Go. The game combines Global Positioning System (GPS) and AR, to find, capture, battle, and train virtual characters, called Pokémon as if the creatures are in the player's physical location. The same principle can be applied to building and construction. In the planning process, architects, designers, builders, engineers and project managers can simply use a device to project a building plan or a 3D model of a physical space and discuss details with a remarkably accurate visual tool.

In 2018, it is estimated that there will be 24 Million Device sales on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, a far cry from its roots in 1968 when Ivan Sutherland first developed the first head-mounted display system. Sutherland's device showed simple computer-generated wireframe drawings onto the headgear. Fast forward to the present era, AR is now available in the palm of our hands using mobile phones and tablets, smart glasses, smart helmets and more.