International project delivery company PM Group is celebrating productivity gains provided by augmented reality (AR) technology on the design and construction of one of Europe’s biggest data centres in Denmark.
PM Group is using what is claimed to be the world’s first engineering-grade AR product, HoloSite, from London-based company, XYZ Reality.
HoloSite integrates AR into a hard hat and visor, allowing the wearer to see full BIM models of structures superimposed on work underway to detect errors before they become expensive to fix.
PM Group said it is helping to achieve "significant time and labour savings during construction", especially in phases involving complex mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering works.
"It has allowed us to move away from a reactive approach to tackling errors, to a more proactive way of working, solving problems before they actualise as a cost," said Diarmuid O’Sullivan, construction director.
He added: "This technology is ground breaking and adds significantly to the AR and other digital technology we are using on our projects across the world."
- See AR in action at the data centre site:
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PM Group BIM manager Coral Butler said the technology removes the need for constant laser surveying and enables live streaming from the project, cutting the number of people needed on site – which is useful amid the pandemic.
XYZ Reality founder and chief executive David Mitchell said: "Having worked as a Digital Construction Manager on some of Europe’s largest construction projects, I have witnessed first-hand how damaging it could be to take a reactive approach to tackling construction errors, but the technology wasn’t available to do it differently – I knew there had to be a better way."
PM Group plans to deploy additional HoloSite units on site in Denmark as the build advances into more complex M&E construction phases. The company is also looking to use the technology on other construction projects in 2021.
Image: HoloSite integrates AR into a hard hat and visor, allowing the wearer to see full BIM models of structures superimposed on work underway (Courtesy of XYZ Reality)
