The Power of VR in Design Reviews for EPC Projects
In Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects, design reviews are the heartbeat of progress. They ensure that complex engineering models align with project requirements, safety standards, and client expectations. Traditionally, these reviews happen at 30%, 60%, and 90% model completion stages—a cadence that has been industry standard for decades.
But here’s the challenge: detecting issues at the 90% stage is often too late. By then, design changes can trigger costly rework, disrupt schedules, and strain client relationships.
Recently, I spoke with an EPC professional who captured this pain point perfectly:
“During our engineering cycles, which can be 3 months to 2 years depending on project complexity, 3D model reviews happen at 30%, 60% and 90% model completion stages. However, detection of issues at 90% stage is too late and results in additional rework incurring cost & forcing delays. With VR, however, we are able to identify issues earlier, i.e. 30% and 60% stages. This helps keep the project on track while improving customer experience. This year, for 50% of our projects, the VR review sessions lasted 4 hours or longer while the remaining were under 1 hour long.”
This insight highlights a fundamental shift: Virtual Reality (VR) is not just a visualization tool—it’s a risk mitigation strategy. By immersing stakeholders in the model at earlier stages, VR enables:
- Early issue detection → Problems are spotted at 30% and 60%, not left to pile up until 90%.
- Reduced rework costs → Catching clashes and design flaws early prevents expensive downstream corrections.
- Improved collaboration → Systems Engineers, Mechanical Design Engineers and Consulting engineers can walk through the model & P&ID in a single virtual space, ensuring alignment of the P&ID with the 3D Model (more on this later).
- Enhanced customer experience → Clients feel more confident when they can “see” and interact with their project before it’s built.
