EMERGING REALITIES
AI: THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION
It is clear that the construction industry has become more open to the adoption of new technology and methods. The question is – what is next? Richard Fletcher, Regional Business Director at Trimble Buildings, explores the future potential of artificial intelligence (AI) within the world of BIM and construction.
1 As is the case with all technology, BIM is an area of constant development. We are all continually looking for ways in which we can further push the efficiency and productivity benefits that technology can offer to our detailing, engineering, fabrication and construction workflows. Parametric design, or data driven design as it is also known, is perhaps one of the most recent developments, with an increasing number of detailers and engineers adopting this way of working. Used in conjunction with modelling software, parametric design tools allow designers to input their required rules, parameters and design algorithm and have the computer then generate the design output. Perhaps a natural progression of this is the idea of computer-driven design. Here, you can push technology further. By inputting the required parameters and allowing the computer to automatically
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generate various different design iterations, the technology can be used to help determine and identify the most optimum and efficient design solution. With an increasing number of people now adopting parametric design within their BIM workflows, allowing the software and technology to have more power while still remaining in control of the inputs and outputs, the question is: what’s next? While not necessarily new, cloudbased software, such as Trimble Connect, continues to be a great and effective way of enabling a connected workflow, facilitating collaboration and communication between project teams. Essentially acting as a huge data storage facility, a project’s BIM model, and all its associated drawings, schedules and documentation, can be stored in the cloud, ready for people to access, review and individually work
on. However, what happens to this mass amount of valuable data once a project has been completed? Often, the majority will remain in the cloud, un-used and un-utilised by its owner. Yet, this could all be changed by the rise of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Put simply, AI is a form of machinelearning, whereby existing information and data is used to develop its own intelligence system; to learn and to think in a similar way to humans and provide its own solutions. Typically, the more data a machine is exposed to, the better it will become at detecting and internalising patterns in said data and understanding and providing insights. Within the BIM and construction industry, AI has the potential to successfully harness and utilise the significant amount of past project data currently unused, in turn helping
WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
