Semi-Augmented Reality, a Novel Approach to Improve Customer Safety in the Pre-sale Process of Under Construction Buildings

Effective marketing is quite vital in many building construction projects that depend on the pre-sale cash in-flow. However, the unsafe condition of the under-construction projects postpones in-person customer visits to the completion date and complicates the marketing process. This safety concern is especially critical for the upper floor units. Although virtual tours of the buildings are used to show the project specifications, they do not convey the impression that customers receive in the real ambiance of in-person visits. This research proposes a novel method called semi-augmented reality to address the safety issue of the under-construction projects during the marketing process. In this method, lower floor apartment units are safeguarded for the customer’s visits to give an accurate impression of the building’s condition. Virtual models of the upper floor apartments are linked to a similar safeguarded unit on the lower floor to augment the existing deviations between lower and upper floor units. The capability of the method was successfully tested in an experimental case. The participating real estate agents in the test found the method beneficial for the customers’ safety, attracting their attention, facilitating the decision-making process, and increasing their convenience. This method introduces a new approach to the building pre-sale marketing process. Similar techniques are expected to emerge shortly.