A Preliminary Study on the Quantitative Assessment of Building Information Modeling and Virtual Reality in Supporting Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Plan Comprehension in AECO Education
Date
2025-03-31
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cureus Journal of Engineering
Abstract
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems are complex, often leading to conflicts and cost overruns. Yet, limited literature explores how to improve MEP plan reading in the classroom. The authors sought to fill the limited research gap through a pilot quantitative comparative study. Therefore, the effectiveness of Building Information Modeling-Virtual Reality (BIM-VR) implementation in a classroom to enhance MEP plan reading comprehension and spatial cognition was investigated, as many students struggle to interpret 2D plans due to their intricate nature. BIM-VR models were developed, and a group of students with limited prior-experience were chosen to minimize prior knowledge biases. Participants were randomly assigned to control and test groups and tested in two phases. The control group was provided 2D plans only, while the test group was granted access to BIM-VR models during the post-phase. Pre- and post-quizzes and a questionnaire were used to evaluate BIM-VR effectiveness, employing appropriate statistical methods. The test group performed similarly in the pre-phase and outperformed the control group in the post-phase. The questionnaire results indicated enhanced visualization, error detection, and a positive experience. The study findings promoted the need for academia to adopt BIM-VR, specifically within the context of MEP plan reading, to prepare students for industry demands.
Description
This article was originally published in Cureus Journal of Engineering. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.7759/s44388-025-03233-8.
Copyright
© Copyright 2025
Aljagoub et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Keywords
mechanical electrical and plumbing (mep), building information modeling (bim), virtual reality (vr), computer-assisted learning, plan reading
Citation
Aljagoub D, Na R (March 31, 2025) A Preliminary Study on the Quantitative Assessment of Building Information Modeling and Virtual Reality in Supporting Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Plan Comprehension in AECO Education. Cureus J Eng 2 : es44388-025-03233-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/s44388-025-03233-8