November 30th 2022

iBT welcomes MCI

SBT students visiting the iBT workspace | Insights into VR and AR applications
of modern construction management

The students of the class of 2022 of "Smart Building Technologies" were invited to the Technology Campus of the University of Innsbruck in preparation for their approaching graduation from the course "Construction Theory".The students of the class of 2022 of "Smart Building Technologies" were invited to the Technology Campus of the University of Innsbruck in preparation for their approaching graduation from the course "Construction Theory".

Lecturers Larissa Schneiderbauer and Markus Gantner introduced them to their field of work there: After a joint discussion and Q&A session on their final projects, in which the students create a digital building model, the students were free to extensively test the technical equipment of the BIM Lab at iBT themselves and to virtually walk and design digital building models with their avatars.

At the Department of Construction Management, Construction Operations and Tunneling (iBT), students were able to gain insights into current developments in BIM and TIM beyond the course.

At iBT, BIM (Building Information Modeling) means using this integral working method as a tool to enable interdisciplinary and collaborative implementation of construction projects. The work processes of the individual stakeholders in building construction remain the same; the design, construction and operation are accompanied by BIM as a digital twin in the life cycle. As an integral method of working that digitally maps and links all areas of construction management, BIM can thus be used specifically to optimize the lifecycle performance of buildings in early project phases.

In the field of TIM (Tunnel Information Modeling), the University of Innsbruck is pursuing the goal of developing digital tools for the successful realization of large-scale civil engineering and underground construction projects, transferring them to construction practice and teaching them in a research-led manner in the course of an endowed professorship of the same name.

Students learned about various VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) type technologies at iBT. By wearing the VR goggles, the students were fully immersed in the virtual world and got the opportunity to experience the processes of a tunnel boring machine. The students perceived augmented reality, i.e. the interaction of the real and digital worlds, via their avatar function in the "Join XR" program with the aid of AR glasses. In this way, they were able to superimpose virtual models on the real environment and engage with the placement of building elements, room sizes and textures. This experience of standing in the middle of the project and designing it in the AR sense certainly prepared them well for the final project submission.

The study program would like to express its sincere thanks for the invitation and the detailed insights into the work area and looks forward to further good cooperation.

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