Automated Construction

The rise of technology is a huge opportunity for the construction industry, enabling it to overcome many of its challenges while broadening its appeal to young talent. While automation has already entered construction in a number of ways, taking it much further could be truly transformational - filling the gaps where skilled labour cannot be found, freeing-up others to focus on more important work and improving efficiency while raising quality. At the design stage, architects and engineers are already using modelling tools that automate work which would traditionally have been done manually. Some are now using "predictive design" software - where artificial intelligence (AI) designs buildings and infrastructure compliant with regulations and best practice. While the cultural importance of architecture means that the design process is unlikely to ever be fully automated, AI could soon play a major role in optimizing designs - drawing in best practice from learning across thousands of projects. By simply entering details about site conditions and our desired outcomes, machines could design the best possible house, hospital or school for that scenario, fully compliant with regulations.