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Augmented Construction - Impact and opportunity of Mixed Reality integration in Architectural Design
Implementation

Conference Paper · October 2019

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Garvin Goepel
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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 Garvin Goepel
INTRODUCTION
Augmented Construction die Angewandte
Constructing complex geometries successfully “…requires
some sort of construction machine that can efficiently
translate the digital description of the shape into a tangible
realization.... Buildings were once materialized draw-
Impact and opportunity of Mixed Reality integration ings, but now increasingly, they are materialized digital
in Architectural Design Implementation information” (Mitchell 2005). Augmented Construction
allows non-standard architectural design to become more
economical with the help of holographic manufacturing and
assembly of custom-made parts and applications that do
not necessarily require more time than modulated systems
in small scale. Instead of visualizing 3D modeling informa-
tion on a 2D screen, Mixed-Reality (MR) allows you to bring
this information into the real world, in real scale as a digital 2
overlay on top of real-world environment. Augmented
Construction allows builders to execute complex tasks and
to understand structural relations intuitively by over-
laying digital design information onto their field of view
on the building site. This gives the implementation system
authors different levels of control. As a proof of concept,
a group of non-professionals reconstructed the south
wall of Corbusier’s Ronchamp chapel, the Notre-Dame du
Haut, at scale 1:5 using no architectural 2D drawings but
only custom-built Augmented Reality apps for AR-glasses
and mobile-devices (Figure 1). This project focused on
the assembly of non-standard prefabricated elements,
based on an optimized parametric structure that enables 3
designers to integrate imprecision within the construction
phases into the design through a constant feedback-loop
1
between the real and the digital. The setup was designed
ABSTR ACT in a non-linear process that allows the integration of new
This paper discusses the integration of Mixed Reality in the design and implementation 1 Digital Information as overlay information during the Augmented Construction phase.
over physical build structure:
of non-standard architecture. It deliberates a method that does not require conventional
holographic instructions tell
2D drawings, and the need for skilled labor, by using the aid of holographic instructions. the constructor where to place Augmented Construction suggests future abilities to
Augmented Construction allow builders to execute complex tasks and to understand the next panel, and the app democratize skill through simple and intuitive holographic
allows the switching on and off
structural relations intuitively by overlaying digital design information onto their field of of different layers instructions that do not require professional training.
view on the building site. This gives the implementation system authors different levels of Instead of deskilling human skill through automation
control. As a proof of concept, a group of non-professionals reconstructed the south wall in manufacturing, Augmented Construction enhances
of Corbusier’s Ronchamp chapel, the Notre-Dame du Haut, at scale 1:5 using no architec- the human capacities to participate in complex building
tural 2D drawings but only custom-built Augmented Reality apps for HoloLens and mobile processes through simplified instructions.
devices. This project focused on the assembly of non-standard prefabricated elements,
based on an optimized parametric structure that enables designers to integrate impre- BACKGROUND
cision within the construction phases into the design through a constant feedback-loop The idea of using Augmented digital information for instruc- 4
between the real and the digital. The setup was designed in a non-linear process that tions dates back to the technology’s conception in 1992
allows the integration of new information during the Augmented Construction phases. (Claudel and Mizell 1992). Since then, Augmented Reality
The paper evaluates applied Augmented Construction for further improvements and (AR) became popular through the gaming industry and
research and concludes by discussing the impact potential of Augmented Construction social media face. The gaming engine Unity© in combina- 2 2D drawing, south-wall
Notre-Dame du Haut
on architectural design, socio-cultural, and economical levels. tion with its plugin Vuforia© allows users to build apps for
bringing digital content into physical space by the use of 3 Photograph of construction site, 4 Photograph of south-wall exte-
south-wall Notre-Dame du Haut rior façade Notre-Dame du Haut
image or object trackers that are detected and tracked by
the device (mobile phone, tablet, etc.) to orient the holo-
graphic information in space. HoloLens, a head mounted

2 TOPIC (ACADIA team will fill in) 3

 5 Screenshots from running
optimization of spaceframe
structure

6 Holographic Instructor gives

instructions to the construction
assistants for the placements
of the beams

7 Colored beams show the next

layer to be assembled by holo-
graphic instructions, the white
beams are already build. The
Holographic Instructor, wearing
the HoloLens, gives instructions
to the assistant connecting the
5 6 next beam

display (HMD) from Microsoft©, allows its user to display lies in its convex and concave curvature, the variation in
holograms by overlaying holographic information onto height, and the different-sized windows which are scat-
their eyes. “HoloLens is the first untethered Mixed Reality tered in an irregular pattern (Figures 2 and 4). In its time,
system. HoloLens includes precise head tracking, gesture it was a masterpiece of architectural fabrication. The
7
sensing, and depth mapping allowing for accurate 3D south wall was executed using concrete columns that
world locking,” which is crucial in Augmented Construction were connected by a wire mesh that was sprayed with
(Kress, Bernard and Cummings 2017). Building apps concrete onto the interior exterior surface of the façade displacement against low material cost (less beams), and 1275 correct sizes for the beam structure. There were two
for HoloLens through Unity© with Vuforia© combines by means of a cement gun (Pauly 2008, 81-82) (Figure 3). enough anchor points to fix panels to the beams. During the ways for the cutting: the conventional way of prefabrication
the exact placement in space with the depth mapping of The reconstruction within the project does not aim for a Augmented Construction phases, this data was updated by a list of elements; and cutting by the aid of Augmented
the surrounding to have the most applicable result for replica in materiality of the monolithic and sculptural wall, through new as-built information onsite. Once the beam Construction, which means to Augment the beam on site
Augmented Constructions. Software development kits for but rather uses a cladded light weight mesh to come as structure was completed, the new information of the and to cut it according to the holographic template. Both
mobile platforms like ARCore© and ARKit© have made the close as possible to the exact shape of the wall, as well as scanned and AR-measured built structure was again methods are useful depending on available tools. The
development of AR applications increasingly easy and the to the exact location and size of the windows. The choice to digitized to update the size of the panels. These were opti- second method was used by integrating new beam lengths
tracking of the holograms in space progressively stable, do a reconstruction was to give the observer a well-known mized to cover the most area possible—without affecting quickly on site. For the connection, a hole was drilled on
making them a relatively cheap alternative to head mounted architectural piece, so that the evaluation of the execution the curvature of the wall—by finding a minimum of two both ends of each pipe. 1400 cable binders (5x250 mm)
displays, however without a depth of view. of an Augmented Construction can be validated against a possible anchor points on the beam structure (Figure 5). were used to fix beams to each other in space. A total of
familiar example, rather than against a personalized design. 36m2 polystyrol sheets (1000x700x15 mm) were used to
Augmented Reality applications have been implemented on App Design cut out the 348 panels on site by Augmented instructions
construction site by smart helmets and tablets, primarily Tectonic System The apps were designed in Unity© and used the plugin and holographic templates. For the connections between
for helping engineers “to make more accurate and more For this Augmented Construction, we looked for a tectonic Vuforia© to place the digital model in the real world by the the panels and the beams, 675 PVC clamps for 16 mm pipes
rapid judgments” for construction review tasks (Ren, Ruan system that is flexible and adjustable—welcoming an help of an image tracker that is used by the app to locate were used, hot-glued on the Polystyrol panels and clamped
and Liu 2017). User experiences for AR systems in indus- exceptional tolerance of imprecision without the need of the model in space, at the same place in the same scale, onto the pipes.
trial settings have been well accepted. They have shown sophisticated tools—and that could be assembled with each time you start the app. Each beam in the digital and
that they have the potential to reduce errors in assembly mediocre skills, embracing a high level of improvisation. holographic model had its length written as a text in its Assembly Setup, Time
and improve the quality of the maintenance work (Aromaa For the reconstruction of the south wall in scale 1:5, we center. In combination with its color code, it was easy The assembly and fabrication of the elements was done
et al. 2018). chose to fill the volume of the wall with a three-dimensional and fast to find the right beam (Figure 7 and 8). Also, the without the use and need of conventional architectural 2D
triangulated beam structure clad with tailored panels. This panels were all unique in shape and numbered in the app. drawings, but only by the aid of Augmented Reality (Figure
METHOD technique suited the convex and concave curvature of the To reduce the information in the digital and holographic 6, 9-12). For this, the HoloLens was combined with a mobile
Proof of Concept wall and the different sizes of the windows and allowed model, layers were used to turn parts of the model and device, an Apple© I-PhoneX©, in combination with the
To have a comparison between a project executed by 2D sufficient anchor points to fix the cladding panels. digital information on and off either by voice command in developed apps. A container was built to sort and hold the
drawings and by Augmented Construction, a piece of iconic the glasses or by buttons in the mobile version (Figure 1). beams, which were color coded according to the length
architecture was selected to be reconstructed. Using Digital Design The apps were updated continuously with the new building shown in the apps. An A3-sized image tracker was taped
iconic architecture made it clearer for the team to follow To find the optimal discretization of beam length and information. to the ground, fixing the position for the digital Augmented
the setup and compare the structure, built by holographic position, the setup was parameterized in a digital model. The beam structure was finished within 42 hours
instructions, to its archetype, and we could focus more on design software. Karamba3D© and Octopus© plugins Holographic Fabrication, Prefabrication with 1 to 4 people and the panelization within 38 hours
the method and the design of the setup. The complexity of for Grasshopper© and Rhinoceros© were used to opti- and Materialization by 1 to 4 people.
the south wall of Notre-Dame-du-Haute by Le Corbusier, mize structural characteristics such as utilization and 427 PVC pipes of 3m length and 16mm diameter were cut in

4 Augmented Construction Goepel TOPIC (ACADIA team will fill in) 5

 RESULTS AND REFLECTION
Final Built Outcome
The spaceframe structure had a deviation of about 6%
in total length, 2% in width and 4% in height from the 3D.
The percentage of deviation constantly increased and
decreased by the integration of imprecision. The panels,
that were tailored for the built spaceframe had an addi-
tional overlay of 4 cm, allowing it to respond to slight
changes of angles of the beams that resulted in a rotation
of the local panels depending on the position and number of
possible connections to the beam.

Cause of Error
8
The beam connections were the main driver for observed
imprecision. The holes drilled into the beams were of slight
difference to the planned position and the overlap of the
beams was not digitally integrated. Up to three connec-
tions were manageable, but as soon as eight beams hit one
connecting point assembly became difficult. For a perfect
10
solution, a 3D printed connection was tried, but it was 10 Holographic Instructor gives instructions to the construction assistants for the placements of the panels

deemed not economically suitable. The integration of the

imprecision was much easier, cheaper, and faster than
the execution of precision by a “perfect” system. Allowing make the app more accessible to people without the need 3D scanning by itself does not differentiate its surround-
the system to be imprecise was also a main driver for the of verbal instruction from the author. ings between the environment and the project. It would
overall concept of this project. have been beneficial to have had a direct feedback
Surrounding between physical build elements, the digital model, and
Hierarchy on Site / Number of Devices The project was partly executed in an outside area as the holographic display. Fologram© allows for this direct
9
The project was executed with one HoloLens and one mobile a public event. While space and a free field is great for feedback—by tracking and tracing markers position with
device only. Hence, the hierarchy on construction site was holographic displays, sunlight is unpractical as it easily HoloLens—to have a live display of physical built elements
8 Colored beams indicate different length groups, that can be found in clearly defined, as the person wearing the HoloLens or outshines the hologram. Improvised shadowing construc- in 3D by digitalizing the marker positions and rebuilding the
color-tagged wooden containers in the background for quick selection
using the mobile device was automatically the instructor tions had to be built, like hats or paravents, to prevent the elements based on the location of tracked points.
9 Assembly of beams based on holographic instruction from mobile-app to the others, as he/she was the only one having an overlay sun from interfering with the holograms. Hence, ideal sites
of holographic information. This slowed down the process for Augmented Construction would be large indoor halls Further Applications for Augmented Construction
and led to errors in communication since the assistants with controlled lighting. “A strong dichotomy exists between the increased archi-
Feedback Loop had no knowledge of information and had to rely on verbal tectural design agency offered by digital tools today and
During the Augmented Construction phases, uncertain- instructions. To have more HoloLenses on construction App Design vs. Live Streaming the affordances given by many construction contexts,
ties and imprecisions occurred mostly by the connection site would be a great advantage and, at the same time, At the time of the project execution, there was no access to especially building environments in developing countries
between the beams by cable binder. To integrate this would present a challenge in managing multiple devices the recently developed software Fologram©. This software with limited available means” (Crolla 2017). As demon-
impression and to have a constant exchange between at the same project. The setup has to be designed so that makes it easy to concentrate on the setup, as it requires no strated by the project above, Augmented Construction
the digital and real model, the physical model was remea- the work field is clearly divided, or so that the holographic coding or app development and allows geometry, text, and enables a broader public without architectural knowledge
sured through the app AR-Measure© by Apple© and information is constantly updated corresponding to the selection data from the Rhino and Grasshopper document to participate in the act of building through holographic
through 3D scans during the construction phases. To construction partners wearing the same device. to be live streamed to the HoloLens (Jahn et al. 2018). There instructions. “…[O]nsite affordances can be increased in
adjust information, the updated digital model was rebuilt is no need to update the app with new information, which parallel with the expanding virtual design solution space”
into the app. Thus, updated holographic instructions were Digital Setup makes for an even workflow between the digital model and (Crolla 2017). Using computational design tools and making
available right away. The hologram instantly shows you The holographic setup could be improved as well. Built the holographic display. The only disadvantage, however, is them accessible through Augmented Reality applications
when you deviate, allowing easy identification of spots parts could be blended out digitally after having been the need for a Wi-Fi connection and a computer from which has the potential to increase limited affordances on site for
that do not match with the 3D. Thus, in what Crolla calls constructed physically and parts of assembly could be to stream rather than only the HoloLens or a mobile device complex solution spaces.
a Post-Digital architectural context, “…the case is made highlighted to improve the workflow. One issue faced onsite with a built-in app.
for the use of more democratic epistemic models and more was that people needed verbal instructions on how the Architectural Design
intelligent structures of approximation than (common) apps work. Making the instructions clearer by displaying Feedback and Live Tracking Augmented Construction allowed for the construction
deterministic approaches in digital design would allow them inside the app as a digital/holographic manual would The feedback loop that was used during the project was of a customized spaceframe and panelization that would
for” (Crolla 2017, 1-2). based on 3D scanning and AR measuring. The HoloLens have been extremely challenging with conventional 2D

6 Augmented Construction Goepel TOPIC (ACADIA team will fill in) 7

11 Holographic selection of next panel to be assembled 12 Comparing the physical build structure to holographic overlay and checking panel position for filling out mesh

plans. Even to construct the piece with a 3D model next ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IMAGE CREDITS
Kress, Bernard C. and William J. Cummings. 2017. "11-1: Invited
to the construction site on a screen would be very time This project was the author's Master Thesis titled “AUGSTRUCTION, Figure 2: The Chapel at Ronchamp drawing © Le Corbusier;
Paper: Towards the Ultimate Mixed Reality Experience: Hololens
consuming and complicated. This paper claims that it would Construction Under the Aid of Augmented Reality," completed from Le Corbusier, Princeton Architectural Press, 1999
Display Architecture Choices." SID Symposium Digest of Technical
not have been possible to construct the same piece of in summer 2018 at die Angewandte, Institute of Architecture Figure 3: Ronchamp: Lecture d’une architecture
Papers 48(1): 127-31.
architecture in the same time frame under different condi- (University of Applied Arts) in Vienna under the supervision of Prof. © Daniele Pauly, Strasbourg, 1980
tions than by Augmented Construction. Greg Lynn and with the assistance of Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Figure 4: © Wayne Andrews, Estate of Wayne Andrews,
Mitchell, W.J. 2005. ”Constructing Complexity”. In Computer Aided
Dominik Strzelec. A big thanks also to all volunteers who partici- New York: Artists Rights Society, 2009
Architectural Design Futures, edited B. Martens and A. Brown,
CONCLUSION pated, especially to Danielle Fertin and Dieter Fellner. Figures 1, 6, 10-12: © Dieter Fellner, 2018
41-50. Dordrecht: Springer.
The project has shown that it was possible to construct All other drawings and images by the author
a complex spaceframe structure with a tailored cladding REFERENCES
Pauly, Danièle. 2008. Le Corbusier: la chapelle de Ronchamp.
without the need of 2D drawings, but only with the aid of Aromaa, Susanna, Antii Väätänen, Eija Kaasinen, Mikael Uimonen, Garvin Goepel is a designer and researcher, specializing in the
Basel: Birkhauser Verlag.
holographic instructions in a Mixed Reality environment. and Sanni Siltanen. 2018. “Human Factors and Ergonomics field of combining augmented-reality with generative architec-
Augmented Construction allows an architectural design Evaluation of a Tablet Based Augmented Reality System in ture. He studied architecture and received his degree Master
Ren, Jiang, Yingying Liu and Zhicheng Ruan. 2016. “Architecture
process during the construction phases through a constant Maintenance Work.” In Mindtrek '18, Proceedings of the 22nd of Architecture with distinction from the University of Applied
in an Age of Augmented Reality: Applications and Practices for
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Mobile Intelligence BIM-based AR in the Entire Lifecycle.” In
a broader public to participate in building by encouraging position in digital fabrication. He gained his professional experi-
International Conference on Electronic Information Technology
untrained labor force with intuitive holographic instruc- Crolla, Kristof. 2018. “Building simplexity: The 'more or less' of ence working with Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna, after completing
and Intellectualization 2016, 664-665.
tions. Augmented Construction is economical as it is low post-digital architecture practice.” PhD diss., RMIT University. his Bachelor of Science at the University of Liechtenstein. He is
in cost; and it uses humans, rather than machines, to currently researching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
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8 Augmented Construction Goepel TOPIC (ACADIA team will fill in) 9

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