Improving Construction Visualization through VR

by Tiffany Amoakohene
student wearing a virtual reality headset

Spatial visualization is a critical component of the construction industry. One example is looking at paper plans and visualizing them in 3D. In addition to allowing stakeholders to understand design details, spatial visualization also enables them to have a better sense of where a construction project stands at any stage.  

To help Wentworth Construction Management students improve these vital skills, Hariharan Naganathan, Ph.D., assistant professor of Construction Management, develops various virtual reality (VR) interactive modules in Construction Management courses. His research is focused on mixed reality (MR)-based strategies in the construction industry. 

Among his research goals is to develop an immersive artificial intelligence (AI) and MR-based construction cyberspace for users to utilize with different phases of construction management, including but not limited to construction material testing, layout designs for buildings and roadways, and slope stability analysis.  

Naganathan’s work also aims to develop and test innovative visualization technologies for imparting active learning in all Wentworth construction courses, including those that are engineering-based.  

“This research starts with the Construction Management program but has the potential to be integrated with different disciplines,” said Naganathan. “It also requires many collaborations with experts in the fields of game development, education, and computer science.”   

His research will help students in various colleges and universities gain hands-on experience in construction-related labs and testing procedures. According to Naganathan, the initial testing with students was very successful, and students loved how they could connect and visualize buildings just by sitting in their classrooms.    

Although the Covid-19 pandemic created challenges for Naganathan in impacting the hardware requirement for his work, he has been working with members of Wentworth’s Teaching & Learning Collaborative to move his research forward.