Development and Assessment of combining BIM and Mixed Reality (MR) in Undergraduate Architecture Education

Abstract

The increase in accessibility of new digital technologies paired with cloud computing has stimulated an epistemological shift in the way we perceive, learn and communicate information. BIM has embraced the trend and evolved into a stable environment, rich on information. BIM in the cloud has not only shifted our perception of the term "office", but also the nature of design communication and collaboration. The challenge for the creative design industry is to re-imagine the way we interact with data. Augmented Reality enables a media-transition, bridging between the digital and physical. The presented project invites students to design data-rich BIMs. BIM provided with a time-stamp allows students to explore the construction sequencing of buildings - a visual and dynamic representation of information. AR technology supports an intuitive way to interact with digital models that encourage students to rapidly exchange and communicate discoveries of spatial qualities, light effects, etc.