The future is here – how will the metaverse change the building industry?

How will the metaverse change the way we connect and share ideas with our AEC teams? Read on for an overview and see the complete article by the Wild.

Meta (the new corporate brand that comprises Facebook, Messenger, Oculus, Instagram, and WhatsApp) recently coined the term “metaverse”. Metaverse is essentially a 3D evolution of the internet, representing a virtual universe that can be experienced like the real world. 

The metaverse has major implications for how we will collaborate and work together in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. 

Embracing work in the metaverse will be imperative for AEC and VDC teams to keep up with changing client expectations, an evolving talent pool, and fierce competition that is already leveraging the metaverse’s ability to multiply their productivity in sharing ideas. 

How does that work?

The metaverse takes 3D models, conversations, media, data visualization, project management, and webapps and brings them into a shared physical space that can be interacted with by our hands. It’s a new HQ that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. It permits instant 3D massing, manipulating assets, or even interacting with building layers and BIM data on a virtual clipboard.

These platforms give a better understanding of the spaces we build and make our communications around them more efficient. By immersing our teammates and clients in 3D spaces, it’s possible to eliminate the need for in-person design review meetings and business travel, while speeding up approvals to shorten design-to-construction timelines. 

All of your standard work tools are just a few clicks away from the metaverse. Collaboration platforms like The Wild and IrisVR have direct integrations to bring your work from tools like Navisworks into shared spaces that can be accessed from anywhere.

In addition, these platforms’ integrations like Autodesk Construction Cloud ensure that your work stays updated with the latest versions from either desktop or virtual reality. Changes will perpetually synchronize to immersive experiences with the newest changes from Autodesk tools.

How will the metaverse change our industry’s workflows using VR and AR in the metaverse? Here are a few examples:

Remote collaboration

AEC teams and clients can stay aligned from any time or place in the world using VR, leading to fewer meetings, less business travel, and faster approvals. 

Prototyping

From site planning to architectural variations, you can rapidly experience a multitude of iterations with your hands, saving materials and getting to final versions quicker.

Bim coordination

From immersive issue tracking to BIM/VDC inspecting & layer visibility settings, VR provides full life-cycle coordination. 

Finishing

Whether reviewing site facades with AR or tweaking materials for clients, you can test every option in lifelike context to ensure you’ll land on the right version together, allowing for co-creation and reduced design cycles. 

Presentations

VR/AR allows you to curate full-sensory presentations that speak to every learning style, winning new clients and racing projects forward for full-team approval. 

What’s next? The first step is considering what type of platform makes the most sense for your team’s immersive collaboration. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to get started—with VR headsets costing less than $300 and 1-click integrations to bring your existing work into the metaverse.

AboutStephanie Kaufman

Career change is a major life decision affecting your professional fulfillment, your family´s livelihood and your employer’s success in the marketplace. Stephanie has had deep understanding of that premise in her decade-long activity as executive search expert supporting construction industry leaders. Her experience pointed to the essential aspects of a perfect professional match such as competence, personality and cultural compatibility. She has developed a portfolio of returning high profile clients and a sensitive and efficient hands-on approach to both sides of the recruitment process. She vouches for investing time in getting to know the clients and candidates on a personal level and diligently guiding them through step by step. All this comes together in a proven strategy that molds to your career and staffing needs, bringing exactly what you need and when you need it.