annnd...we're back!

back in the saddle with AEC-focused tech news you can use

I took a break from writing but I still spend a lot of time keeping tabs on this stuff, and maybe some of what I uncover will be useful to you.

So I’m going to try to revive this newsletter with these goals:

• curated AI and tech news for AEC (especially AE) firm leaders and innovators

• concise and high impact

• informal and easy to digest quick reads

• focusing on consistency and frequency

Basically, I want this newsletter to be a valuable asset as you try to navigate these fast-changing times.

Here’s some interesting stuff I’ve dug up lately…

AI-Powered Generative Design Tools

AI-powered tools are being developed that take architectural drawings as input, process that information, and then output something new.

• One example is Higharc, which “took a sales brochure image of a two-story plan and converted it into a fully detailed, structurally integrated 3D model within minutes” during a recent demonstration.

• Another is Genia which generates structural designs from architectural floor plans. The tool evaluates multiple options for the structural system using finite element analysis to optimize the design.

• Firms are also using more general tools to enhance and speed up their processes. For example, Zaha Hadid Architects reports “productivity gains of up to 50% in mid-stage building design preparation, facilitated by tools such as Stable Diffusion and AI-integrated platforms like Rhino.ai”.

Homegrown AI Assistants

Larger and smaller firms alike are leveraging AI to build “assistants” that help parse vast amounts of data quickly.

• “Balfour Beatty is in the process of developing StoaOne, a large language model generative AI assistant that will help employees mine… ‘untold billions of data points.’” (Construction Dive)

• Skanska is building a tool “which will help employees at the company plumb the firm’s collective expertise on projects and problems.” (Construction Dive)

• A consultancy in my own field, Building Science Corporation, has built an AI-powered building science chatbot.

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That’s it for now! If you have any questions or want more details please drop a comment below. I’d also love to hear if there are any areas you’re particularly interested in learning more about.