A Virtual Environment for Building Construction

The construction industry has acknowledged that its current working practices are in need of substantial improvements in quality and efficiency and has identified that computer modeling techniques and the use of prefabricated components can help reduce times, costs, and minimise defects and problems of on-site construction. This paper describes a virtual environment to support the construction process of buildings from prefabricated components designed within the FutureHome project. The environment can import a library of 3D models of prefabricated modules that can be used to construct a building. These models will then be used to represent the dynamics of the FutureHome construction site enhancing current construction practices that uses flat 2D plans and Gantt charts. This work is the first stage in generating an environment to support the construction process of a building from its initial modular design to its on-site construction, and maintenance during its lifetime, as part of the FutureHome project.