The Identification, Development, and Evaluation of BIM-ARDM: A BIM-Based AR Defect Management System for Construction Inspections

Abstract

This article presents our findings from a three-stage research project, which consists of the identification, development, and evaluation of a defect management Augmented Reality (AR) prototype that incorporates Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies. Within the first stage, we conducted a workshop with four construction-industry representatives to capture their opinions and perceptions of the potentials and barriers associated with the integration of BIM and AR in the construction industry. The workshop findings led us to the second stage, which consisted of the development of an on-site BIM-based AR defect management (BIM-ARDM) system for construction inspections. Finally, a study was conducted to evaluate BIM-ARDM in comparison to the current paper-based defect management inspection approach employed on construction sites. The findings from the study revealed BIM-ARDM significantly outperformed current approaches in terms of usability, workload, performance, completion time, identifying defects, locating building elements, and assisting the user with the inspection task.