AUGMENTED REALITY FOR MODULAR CONSTRUCTION: A BIM DRIVEN FACTORY TO SITE WORKFLOW

The research presents ARsembly, an open source framework that bridges Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Augmented Reality (AR) within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) sector. The study addresses a persistent gap between traditional BIM AR proposals and their practical implementation in real-world workflows. Through the development of two interlinked frameworks, BIM AR integration and User Interface (UI), the work demonstrates a feasible, replicable approach for interactive BIM visualization and decision support in AR environments. The BIM AR framework tackles key technical challenges such as model preparation, file transformation, runtime rendering, and device optimization, establishing a GLTF-based runtime pipeline compatible with free and open source tools. In parallel, the UI framework defines a modular structure that separates general functionality from AR-specific interaction, focusing on usability, cognitive clarity, and multidisciplinary adaptability. Together, these frameworks converge in ARsembly, a prototype developed in Unity with C#, Docker, and Python scripting to enable real-time BIM model visualization, metadata management, and AR-based interaction. Results validate the feasibility of the proposed system through iterative testing, benchmarking, and partial implementation. The research concludes that BIM AR integration must be both technically grounded and user-centered, with flexibility and accessibility as key enablers of adoption in the AECO industry. ARsembly thus contributes a scalable model for open, interoperable, and human centric digital workflows supporting the ongoing transformation of construction processes toward smarter and data-driven environments.