Construction firm pioneers 3D hologram technology

Construction firm pioneers 3D hologram technology



International construction and engineering firm AECOM has revealed it is pioneering the use of ‘mixed-reality’ technology to explore 3D models of development plans.


In collaboration with digital specialist Trimble, AECOM has adopted a lightweight Microsoft ‘HoloLens’ headset which allows wearers to view and interact with 3D holograms.

Stephen M Kadenacy, President of AECOM, said: “Exploring complex structures in a mixed-reality environment has huge potential to accelerate the engineering design process.

“With this technology we can gain greater clarity earlier in the design review process than with 2D drawings or 3D models on screen, and team members in different locations, each wearing a headset, can simultaneously explore the same holographic projections.

“We’re very excited to be working with Trimble at the cutting edge of mixed-reality.”

The headsets enable designers and engineers to view a structure as if it were placed on a table, or zoom in to explore a 1:1 simulation of the framework.

Team members can also share their view to point out potential difficulties in the designs and log their observations.

AECOM has distributed the devices to projects on three continents, and the headsets recently aided in the design of four summer houses with unconventional structures at the Serpentine Galleries’ annual architecture program in London.

Bryn Fosburgh, Vice President at Trimble, added: “…[AECOM] is learning first-hand how the technology can improve efficiency and enable effective collaboration throughout the design process.”



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