On Friday, July 31st, Tocci brought in Jeffrey Jacobson, Ph.D. to speak with our Virtual Design and Construction, Business Development, and Marketing teams about Construction Virtual Reality.

Jeffrey has managed diverse VR delivery teams and worked on projects spanning from interactive building façades, and medical VR, to full simulations of virtual Egyptian temples for museum clients. He is a co-organizer of Boston VR Meetup and has published a great deal on the subject.

We reached out to attendees to hear their perspectives on what VR means for their field of expertise.

Maria Pelaggi says “From a business development standpoint having the ability to actually implant your client into their project prior to having any shovels in the ground is priceless. Not only does it save time but it saves money. By nature, people interpret and visualize things differently. Therefore by creating a virtual environment for developers and other contributors to explore, we are eliminating the issue of differing visions and ensuring the client’s vision is being captured correctly. This in turn eliminates change orders down the line.”

VJ Tocci develops this idea further explaining, “It is one thing to view a building or a specific room, as you ‘walk’ through it looking at flat screen computer model. There is still a certain element of imagining what it ‘really’ looks like to be there. With 3D models, you are effectively looking at the ‘fish tank’ but still left wondering what it is like to see the tank as the fish. Now, with VR you are immersed in the environment (don’t drown). You can completely surround yourself in a room or on the sidewalk in a streetscape examining the exterior of a building.

The owner and other key building decision-makers are given an opportunity to experience their building before it’s even been built. It’s the logical next step for construction design. Unsurprisingly, Tocci is already embracing these advances and ready to lead others.

Jessica Valadares says that as a VDC Modeler “VR could potentially be more than just about experiencing the design or space; it can be about trade coordination!

When we think of VR we think of how this technology could be beneficial to the Owner, but also we ask what can VR do for the spatial coordination of the building. The answer is clear; we can become immersed in a virtually built job site, experiencing the construction ahead of us.

Your superintendent could walk the building and identify future potential concerns even before the building breaks ground. Additionally, as a VDC coordinator, I would be able to, quite literally, bring trade subcontractors to the ‘field’ during coordination meetings.

We can see VR take on a larger role in the process of coordination. The values continue to be the same but the process can become far more effective. The digital model is able to be virtually explored and enhance our vision for the future.