Applications of Virtual Design and Construction in the Building Industry

Virtual building structures are a useful tool to improve communication between the persons involved in a construction project. This is particularly true in the early phases of construction projects. Virtual Design and Construction (ViCon) is regarded as a key technology in the construction field. The authors' company has made ViCon an innovation key subject for the next few years and the goals to be achieved are explained in this article. The innovation key subject is dealt with in pilot projects which are limited to a maximum duration of one year. Selected examples illustrate the technologies which are implemented for real construction projects and evaluated in close coordination with the operational units. These technologies are tested for their fitness for practice and are introduced in the day-to-day business. Such advantages are expected both in the early project phases of a construction project and in the field of facility management and operation. Virtual Design and Construction takes into account the entire life cycle of a building structure. Information gathered in the early phases plays a key role in the whole process.