Feasibility Study of Using Virtual Reality with Emphasis on Reducing the Cost of Finishing in Residential Projects (Case study: Construction projects in Districts 1 to 3 of Tehran)

Lack of correct understanding of the final product of projects is one of the most important causes of cost overrun in the construction industry, which is the source of many differences between the main elements of projects. The use of new technologies has helped developed countries control the cost of projects. Virtual reality is one of the latest technologies which has entered many industries such as the construction industry in recent years and has positive effects in different areas of project management such as cost management. According to the critical capabilities of these projects in the field of creating a correct understanding of the final product, as well as the strong influence of the finishing on increasing the cost of construction projects, the present study is limited to investigating the effect of virtual reality on cost reduction in the finishing stage of residential projects. Firstly, to achieve the study's objectives, 39 causes of increasing the cost of construction projects were extracted by studying the previous literature. Rework, design changes during execution, and fluctuations in material prices were identified as the most influential factors in growing joinery projects' costs. Then, ten experienced experts validated the accuracy of the results using a questionnaire. Second, a platform was designed to implement virtual reality to provide a correct image of the project product and management information. Then, by an interview, the effect of virtual reality on reducing the cost of finishing residential projects was measured. Finally, by merging the first and second steps of the research, the results showed that virtual reality through reduction of design changes during implementation, rework, and mistakes in virtual reality design have a significant impact on reducing project costs. Also, 25 factors that have not impacted this technology and five other factors that have experienced minimal impact were separated.