How AI can augment the design visualization process

Blog author Tim Beecken, AIA, uses the design of an airport as a case-study for AI’s potential in design visualizations.

Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.

The latest annual technology report from Associated Builders and Contractors delves into how artificial intelligence can enhance efficiency and innovation in the construction sector. The report includes a resource guide, a case study, insight papers, and an essay concerning applied uses for AI planning, development, and execution. 

A new guide, “Gamechanger: A Facility Manager’s Guide to Building a Relationship with AI,” provides a roadmap to understanding and using AI in the built environment.

Nearly two-thirds of contractors surveyed, who cited use of robotics on jobsites, are either using monitoring and/or service/labor robotics.

Jeff Danley, Associate Technology and Innovation Consultant at Burns & McDonnell, suggests several solutions generative AI could have within the construction industry.

Walmart has completed one of the largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures in the US. Alquist 3D printed the almost 8,000-sf, 20-foot-high addition to a Walmart store in Athens, Tenn. The expansion, which will be used for online pickup and delivery, is the first time Walmart has applied 3D printing technology at this scale. 

Researchers at ETH Zurich, a university in Switzerland, have developed a new robotic additive manufacturing method to help make the construction industry more sustainable. Unlike concrete 3D printing, the process does not require cement.