Immersive AR-VR Tools Gain Traction in Facilities Management and AEC Sectors

A man wearing a VR headset stands in an unfinished building, interacting with a holographic AR interface displaying a 3D model of a facility and icons related to maintenance and infrastructure.

Immersive AR/VR Tools Gain Traction in Facilities Management and AEC Sectors

In the past six months, real‑world deployments and longitudinal studies have confirmed that augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are transitioning from experimental to operational tools within the facility management and built‑environment industry, enhancing design coordination, safety training, and public engagement.

Sector Adoption Trends

A recent mixed‑methods study surveying over 200 AEC‑FM experts reports that while initial optimism around AR/VR adoption in 2018 was high, skepticism has grown by 2023 due to concerns around cost, technical limitations, and talent gaps (Fathi et al. 2025) DesignRush+10Frontiers+10ResearchGate+10. Commercial and institutional facilities are rated among the most promising application areas for these tools.

At the same time, market research highlights rapid growth in related hardware and software: AR alone was valued at nearly US $44 billion in 2024, projected to exceed US $635 billion by 2033, with VR also expanding significantly (ResearchAndMarkets 2025) Frontiers+1ResearchGate+1 Business Wire.

Real‑World Use Cases in FM

Public infrastructure and community planning: The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently implemented an AR platform to visualize future flood‑resilient infrastructure for public validation. Residents accessed life‑sized 3D overlays via QR‑codes and smartphones—and feedback showed significantly higher engagement than traditional 2D plans (Vitale 2025) Business Wire+15Business Insider+15Facilitiesnet+15.
Enterprise collaboration and design review: A startup‑led AR/VR platform adopted by engineering firms and manufacturers—including aerospace—demonstrates how teams can co‑view and iterate CAD models in real time within spatial 3D. This approach accelerates early design alignment and reduces coordination errors (Campfire 2025) Business Insider.

Primary Benefits in FM Context

Enhanced stakeholder communication: AR overlays support clearer visualization of facility modifications, enabling facility managers to obtain faster approvals and coordinate more effectively with non‑technical stakeholders.
Immersive training environments: VR simulation allows new FM staff to practice safety scenarios and equipment handling in a controlled virtual setting, improving preparedness without physical risk.
Design accuracy and error reduction: By enabling real‑scale viewing of models, AR/VR helps identify design clashes before construction, potentially reducing rework costs by up to $15.8 billion industry‑wide (UndertheHardhat, 2025) Times Union+15Under the Hard Hat+15Idea Usher+15 arXiv.

Enablers and Barriers

Enablers:

Declining headset costs and broader device compatibility (supporting tablets, laptops, phones) are increasing accessibility, even for less hardware‑intensive FM tasks (Campfire 2025) Business Insider.
Integration with digital twin platforms and building information systems is creating seamless workflows for FM operations and lifecycle management (JLL Insight 2025) jll.com.

Barriers:

Cost and complexity: High initial investment in AR/VR hardware, and integration challenges across legacy FM software, remain significant obstacles (Fathi et al. 2025) ResearchGate.
Skills shortage: Limited in‑house expertise to deploy, customise, or maintain immersive applications continues to hamper broader adoption efforts (Fathi et al. 2025) ResearchGate.
User confidence decline: Survey data shows that industry confidence in AR/VR as a standard FM tool dropped from a mean of 3.2 (out of 4) in 2018 to 2.55 in 2023 (Fathi et al. 2025) Frontiers.

Outlook and Strategic Considerations

Examining current momentum and market forecasts suggests a tipping point is approaching for AR/VR in FM:

Analysts forecast a jump in AR/VR headset market growth (38.6 % CAGR) between 2025 and 2029, with anticipated recovery and expansion following modest short‑term deployment slowdowns (Computer Weekly 2025) computerweekly.com.
Enterprises increasingly view immersive tech as essential for digital transformation—not optional add‑ons—and are prioritising pilot deployments in institutions, campuses, and critical infrastructure portfolios (Guardian digital workspace piece 2025) The Guardian+1Business Insider+1.

Strategically, facility management teams should:

Run small‑scale pilots tied to tangible use cases (e.g. training, client walkthroughs).
Invest in workforce training and upskilling around AR/VR tools.
Design technology roadmaps to align immersive tools with existing digital twins, BIM, and asset tracking systems.

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