This technology existed long before COVID-19 hit. What are some of its other benefits?

Chuck: One of our design teams working on a new residential tower in Boston was able to cut a 6-hour roundtrip from their schedules.

Russell: Part of our job is to help teams quantify budget and schedule impacts from using VR. With 2D plans, and even other VR tools, you might miss spotting issues. We’ve found that, on average, teams using InsiteVR can prevent two-and-a-half RFIs for every hour spent in the VR model. That means we can resolve RFIs in minutes instead of weeks and avoid months of possible design delays.

Rael: The QA/QC process is better as well. We have a lot more confidence in the designs we hand off to our construction partners.

You mentioned end users. How does the platform get them engaged with design?

Rael: On the Comox Valley Water Treatment Plant project in British Columbia, we had one of the client’s operators do a VR walkthrough of a new plant before it was constructed. At one point, the operator said, “I can’t reach this valve. I’m going to break my back if I have to get on my knees every time I’ve got to turn this, and I’ve got to turn it twice a day.” So we changed the design and prevented possible worker’s compensation claims.

Chuck: And on a hospital project, we had some healthcare providers use VR to review the design models. They said things like, “This shelf is too small” and “You need to put this outlet on the other side because when I need to intubate a patient, I need to plug the machine in over here.”

In one review, a nurse pointed to a cabinet in a hospital room that opened up into the room and asked if it could open up into the hallway as well. That way, if there was a sanitation concern with the room, staff wouldn’t have to go into it to restock the cabinet. That actually became a design standard. This type of feedback makes our designers better, makes future designs better for our clients, because these details become part of our institutional knowledge.

And Stantec clients? Do they use the platform?

Russell: I was in a meeting with a Stantec client, Aera Energy, last week. The entire team, including the client, was working from home as they reviewed an oil and gas facility design. The client liked the process so much that he brought in another member from Aera for the next meeting. That person actually used his son’s Oculus Quest, which we installed our software onto.

Not all owners get involved in the design process, but we can support those who need to be involved at every step. Owners love the depth perception and sense of scale the experience provides and find that being immersed in the model makes issues stand out much quicker, especially for maintenance, facilities and operations staff.