Building Information Modelling, Artificial Intelligence and Construction Tech

TLDR

Digital information tools in construction enable the growth of companies specializing in design and construction technologies, building on ideas from decades of research and a BIM foundation that emerged in 1975, with venture capital interest rising in the last five years. The authors review digital construction innovations to assess their future prospects through the lens of their reliance on digital information. They trace these innovations from their historical origins to the present, evaluating their optimistic future potential. The review highlights new challenges and proposes research topics that could unlock future AI‑driven applications.

Abstract

Adoption of digital information tools in the construction sector provides fertile ground for the birth and growth of companies that specialize in applications of technologies to design and construction. While some of the technologies are new, many implement ideas proposed in construction research decades ago that were impractical without a sound digital building information foundation. Building Information Modelling (BIM) itself can be traced to a landmark paper from 1975; ideas for artificially intelligent design and code checking tools date from the mid-1980s; and construction robots have laboured in research labs for decades. Yet only within the past five years has venture capital actively sought startup companies in the 'Construction Tech' sector. Following a set of digital construction innovations through their known past and their uncertain present, we review their increasingly optimistic future, all through the lens of their dependence on digital information. The review identifies new challenges, yielding a set of research topics with the potential to unlock a range of future applications that apply artificial intelligence.