Jean Ghazal, Director of Preconstruction and VDC, Nesma & Partners Contracting Co, outlined how the company has developed immersive experiences for some of its construction projects, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), as well as the importance of high-quality data for BIM use.
AI helps the company better track productivity on site, aiding productivity decision-making. In particular it has been used to better understand the use of heavy equipment on site, and measure that against project progress and site sate safety.
For VR, the company uses the technology to walk through a project before it has started. It gets the “client involved at an early stage” and helps them “make better [and] faster decisions, especially when it comes to materials selection”, explained Ghazal, speaking at the Construction Technology Festival 2022.
VR has also helped Nesma improve collaboration between different disciplines, run clash detection and spot design deficiencies early in a project.
Data matters in construction. If it is not reliable and poorly managed, this will negatively impact the running of a project, Ghazal said. Through BIM, Nesma has better understood project flow and construction progress, improving tracking and management of a project.
