Throughout modern times, infrastructure projects have evolved alongside the tools used to design and build them. Hand-drawn plans and manual labor gave way to detailed modeling, heavy machinery and computer-aided design. Technological advancement continues to change how projects are planned, designed and constructed.
Today, team members can walk through design models and evaluate projects at true scale, supporting both civil and military construction efforts, using building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality (VR) software and other digital tools that give project teams new ways to visualize and evaluate infrastructure before construction begins. .
Building information modeling allows virtual reality software to become a vehicle for data visualization, creating 3D digital representations of infrastructure incorporating physical and functional characteristics to provide spatial understanding.
This technology helps identify potential issues early, improve collaboration and streamline decision-making, ultimately saving time and reducing costs during project delivery.
“Integrating virtual reality into our existing engineering tools allows us to visualize complexity before we build it, reducing risk and improving decision-making on critical projects,” says Col. Bob McTighe, USACE Sacramento District Commander.
Kevin Russ, USACE Sacramento's BIM manager, says the district's Engineering Division is using virtual reality in early design phases, typically beginning at 35% design review. For some projects, VR is being used at concept phase to show non-technical stakeholders and customers projects like never before.
Russ has worked with the Sacramento District for 18 years and believes incorporating these tools into the design process has provided positive benefits. “It allows non-technical stakeholders, such as installation staff members and end-users, to easily understand spatial layouts, experience the facility, and provide actionable feedback early in the design process without needing to know how to read complex engineering plans,” says Russ.
Throughout design development, various engineers review progress. Before 3D modeling and VR, it was difficult to clearly convey spatial understanding, but modern technology helps bring a design to life.
According to Russ, during a Veterans Affairs project, building engineers took a virtual walkthrough in a future mechanical room, providing a visual understanding of where equipment would fit and valuable insight and feedback from customers to incorporate adjustments before construction began.
It’s easy to see why the new tools are helpful.
A traditional 2D conceptual design drawing remains flat. You may see length and width, but it’s difficult to understand depth. Spatial understanding includes depth, position, direction, distance, size and how objects relate to one another in a 3D environment. It’s essentially the difference between viewing a floor plan versus actually touring a home you may be interested in.
“2D tells you what you’re looking at while spatial understanding tells you where it is in the real world,” Russ explained.
The technology helps with in-house design as well, identifying necessary adjustments early, like for an F-15 Igloo project at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
“There was an electrical panel placement covering a mechanical return air register, which was not showing on a clash report,” says Russ. “Our virtual walkthrough showed us we needed more coordination between the project’s electrical and mechanical engineers.”
Identifying conflicts like this one earlier in the process saves time and helps avoid costly change orders later in the project, Russ explains.
VR integration benefits architects, engineers, contractors and non-federal sponsors working in partnership within USACE infrastructure projects.
“VR benefits both the architecture and engineering design contractors and construction contractors, just as it benefits our engineering teams,” says Russ. “We’ve seen contractors use it to demonstrate design intent during design charrettes and quality control, while USACE uses it to support quality assurance and design review.”
In February, USACE announced the “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative, intended to prioritize delivering national infrastructure to communities across the nation.
“To safely deliver quality projects on time and within budget, we must continue to leverage every available technology,” says Col. McTighe.
For Russ, getting there starts with a simple formula.
“I say, ‘Get the design models right, get the design right.’”