Sanjay Gangal interviewed Don Jacob, VP Technology, Build & Construction Division of the Nemetschek Group
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is a trending topic in the AEC/O industry. Why are you convinced that it is beneficial for stakeholders across the whole building lifecycle?
With Building Information Modeling (BIM) extending further across the project lifecycle, the shift to data-driven design and construction is resulting in increasing amounts of data being generated in all phases of a project. Stakeholders throughout the design and build value chain are spending more and more of their time as information managers, attempting to organize and synthesize the meaning of this information. AI and machine learning (ML) techniques are proving to be powerful tools to maximize the value and realize potential of data to drive timely decisions faster, impacting architecture, engineering, construction, and building operations.
Maybe you can explain this in greater detail? How exactly does AI deliver value?
Data is the fuel that powers AI. Using historical information, machine learning can forecast future results based on past performance, identify patterns, and generate new insights in ways never before imagined. Planning and design are already benefiting from advanced software tools – like those provided by the Nemetschek Group – which help identify rule-based clashes between models, create accurate construction simulations and schedules, and increase the efficiency of the design stage. AI has introduced methodologies such as generative design, creating thousands of options in a fraction of the time which are then refined by the designer to meet client requirements. In the future, the use of AI in design will help to automate traditionally manual tasks, providing assistive technology that enables design and planning to be faster, higher quality, and cost-optimized. The need to deliver projects successfully with fewer resources has driven the need to leverage the insights that AI and machine learning provides.
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