Augmented reality’s future has arrived on the construction site.

The Indiana Neuro Diagnostic Institute and Advanced Treatment Center (NDI) ushers in a new model of care for the state. For Pepper, the build also showcased the early capabilities and the incredible potential, of augmented reality technology.

Early in the project, traditional methods were creating some delays in the schedule. The building's framing was scheduled to go up before the ductwork was installed. As tradespeople in the field installed ductwork, they encountered instances where framed openings were not ideally laid out – which meant the framer would have to return to an area they had already completed to correct the situation.

To proactively solve the issue, the project team turned to the HoloLens augmented reality headset. The team used the HoloLens to digitally overlay the framing with 3D images of the planned ductwork. This allowed the framing to be validated for MEP wall penetrations. Any necessary corrections could then be made ahead of the duct installation, which kept the project on schedule.

It was exciting to use augmented reality to empower our tradespeople to solve a specific problem in a new way and it really encouraged us to consider additional uses of this technology for our project teams.”

– Mike Alder, Director of Virtual Construction