Making in Mixed Reality. Holographic design, fabrication, assembly and analysis of woven steel structures

Abstract

The construction industry’s reliance on two-dimensional documentation results in inefficiency, inconsistency, waste, human error, and increased cost, and limits architectural experimentation with novel form, structure, material or fabrication approaches. We describe a software platform that enables designers to create interactive holographic instructions that translate design models into intelligent processes rather than static drawings. A prototypical project to design and construct a pavilion from bent mild steel tube illustrates the use of this software to develop applications assisting with the design, fabrication, assembly and analysis of the structure. We further demonstrate that fabrication within mixed reality environments can enable unskilled construction teams to assemble complex structures in short time frames and with minimal errors, and outline possibilities for further improvements.