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Construction executives are increasingly embracing the potential of AI to drive innovation and efficiency, according to a recent panel session during the New York Build Expo.
For example, Poliark, a software company with offices in New York City and Turkey, uses its AI algorithms to generate project cost and timeline estimates, according to its founder and CEO Eda Erol. But Erol emphasized the role of AI throughout the construction lifecycle, especially design.
“We think of a simple design process. You have to start with a 2D within a software, then you need another software for 3D, another for detail, you have to know consulting, pricing, and then you need rendering programs,” Erol said. “I can’t imagine how much spend with these products. AI can take over most of the process.”
AEC firms also use AI tools to assess the environmental impact of various construction materials, optimize resource use, and minimize carbon emissions throughout the project lifecycle. Because of these benefits, many more construction companies are starting to ask how to adopt AI into their workflows.
At LiRo Group, a Syosset, N.Y.-based AEC company, that includes using AI for infrastructure mapping services across projects, said Aditi Patel, vice president of LiRo.
“Until now, the traditional process was that one person would go out and look around the road network and capture information, take photographs, document all the defects, capture broken signs, things like that,” Patel said. “Now, you can just mount this scanner in your car and drive around your city and it’s scanning the city in real time, but also leveraging AI to identify problems early on. The value it brings is that you get more accurate information in a lot less time”.
This technology is most often used in infrastructure inspections, he added, especially with bridges and tunnels.
“AI does a really good job of capturing these defects because it basically uses computer vision, and you can train the algorithms to identify certain types of known defects in your structures,” Patel said. “This is a very successful case study for me.”
Designing with AI
In the medium term, there is also an opportunity for AI to further augment the design process, said Zak Kostura, associate director at Arup, a London-based design services firm.
“We all depend on a lot of tools that take a long time to run and AI, I think what we’re seeing, will be able to replace that, where you don’t actually need to run that CFD program,” Kostura said. “The results are much more immediate.”
CFD, or Computational Fluid Dynamics, is used as an advanced airflow modeling method and can be used to predict airflow patterns, heat distribution, and pollutant transport in and around buildings. CFD plays a crucial role in the construction of a thermally adaptable, healthy and energy efficient building.
Kostura also added that AI can be used to help customers from a decarbonization point of view.
To that end, Arup recently collaborated on an office fit-out in New York City for the Natural Resources Defense Council, with the goal of a zero office facility. Given different design decisions, there were about 275 billion possible permutations, Kostura said. To analyze this vast set of solutions, Arup used AI to significantly reduce the time needed to evaluate these options.
“We got so efficient that we said, ‘Why don’t we bring this to wallet customers?'” Kostura said. “Now, all of a sudden, we’re saying we could actually run the same genetic algorithm that we already have in the city of New York and see what policy decisions New York City could make that would incentivize people to have the greatest impact on reducing the city’s carbon footprint.”
Safety and efficiency in the workplace
The panel also explored how AI can revolutionize safety protocols on construction sites. For example, AI-powered predictive analytics can identify potential safety hazards and prevent accidents.
From the detection of near misses to the detection of threats such as gunfire, AI-powered technologies have the potential to significantly improve safety standards in the construction industry, said Charles Esteves, director of preconstruction at Consigli , a general contractor based in Milford, Massachusetts.
“[Computer vision] is a good example”, said Esteves. “On very specific tasks, like setting up security cameras, [checking] they wear hard hats, mind you[ing] delivery trucks — we’re seeing some success there.”
Another use case is during a request for information, a construction process that asks for clarification on documents, drawings, specifications, or other project conditions. With AI, that can streamline the process and reduce potential wait time, Patel said.
“Basically, you can use easy messaging to ask AI questions, and as long as AI has access to that information, it can break it down and simplify it and give you that information in a simple dialog,” Patel said. “This is groundbreaking. Right now, if you’re responding to an RFI, you have to reach out to different teams, figure out what the details are, and that can take hours or days.”
