Augmented reality supported hearings: a case study on the openBIM-based building permit process in Vienna, Austria

Abstract

Buildings must adhere to the prevailing legal and technical regulations. The compliance is verified by authorities as part of the building permit process. The advent of digitalization in the field of construction, most notably typified by building information modelling (BIM), has caused a transformation of the previous analogue process. Neighbours are accorded a specific status and play a vital role in the building permit process in certain countries. They can review their rights during a plan checking process, which summarizes the statement period and hearing. However, these sub-processes have so far received little attention in the digital building permit processes. This paper thus proposes a transformation of the hearing process in Vienna, Austria, which is necessary for an openBIM permit, and analyses the impact on the stakeholders involved. Therefore, an augmented reality (AR) platform was developed based on prior research. A case study was then conducted to document the effects of AR-supported hearings and compare them with the conventional approach. The results of the case study illustrate the potential of AR to optimize hearings. Specifically, the utilization of AR has been found to significantly enhance spatial understanding. In addition, feedback rounds were held, and further development improvements were identified.