How Virtual Reality is Reshaping Architecture?

One of the key traits of a successful architect is the ability to think creatively and be able to iterate your ideas till they take a final shape that's efficient and cost effective. 

Unlike many other engineering domains, it can be tough to visualize how your vision on a blueprint will unfold in reality and who any “what-if” scenarios will play out. It can be at times difficult to present the grand picture to potential stakeholders and decision-makers and how your design choices will have the impact they demand. The advent of Virtual Reality has the potential to solve the aforementioned problem effectively. With the use of Virtual Reality in architecture, the creative iterations of visualizations can be taken to a whole new level. Use of this emerging technology would enhance the visualization experience and the creative decision-making process.

Benefits of VR in Architecture:

Virtual reality in architecture can be seen as one of the biggest breakthrough for civil engineering. Apart from using VR as a presentation tool, it can also be useful in terms of defect detection. Let us discuss in detail the benefits of VR in the field of Architecture:

Smart Cities: The increased push towards efficient and economical smart cities brings with it a whole slew of new design and integration challenges. The use of Virtual and Augmented reality technologies can allow for end-to-end deployment of solutions that can help reduce the time and cost of development.

Sales: The role of Virtual reality in architecture does not cease from per-production to production. Even after deployment, VR can help customers make an informed choice about their real-estate purchases by letting them visualize the value proposition of a property even before stepping foot in it.

Elimination of Mistakes:  The use of VR technology can enable better resource utilization as their use and impact can be visualized virtually and the cost-benefit analysis can be performed interactively. VR technology can also allows for early detection of anomalies and also trying out different what-if scenarios.  

Training: The data and visualizations generated for a VR project can also be used to train engineering students, staff and maintenance personals. Such subsystems include but are not limited to the sewage system, maintenance of water pipelines or electrical wirings etc. 

MAGES Studio has done a significant amount of work in the field of VR, and specifically for VR in architecture. They have developed various mobile game applications to facilitate the use of VR in architecture. Since the technology is in its nascent phase, organizations like MAGES Studio are putting extra care to ensure the technology is user friendly. Some of the simulations have been enumerated below:

River Edge: It is an interactive application for architects and end-users alike. The user can explore a piece of real-estate and even change the materials to see how the new materials can impact the ambiance.

Real Estate: This VR simulations allows for the per-visualization  of a government facility before it was being built. It can be used as an interactive presentation and also act as a tool for feedback generation.

The advancements in the Virtual Reality technology is enabling industries from various domains to save time and money. In sectors like real-estate, or construction or bio-medicine , it also facilitates a reduction in risk to human life. VR in the field of architecture will make its own space with time, and we are only beginning to see how this industry will make use of VR technology.