AI in Construction: Boost Efficiency & Sustainability

Explore how AI is transforming construction with real-time insights, sustainable design, and improved compliance. Learn about AI's impact on efficiency and ESG goals.

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries worldwide. Rapid improvements in computing power, increases in data sets and the rise of machine learning have all increased the availability of AI solutions and we already see it in our day to day lives, through easily accessible technologies such as Chat GPT and CoPilot.

In January, the Government announced plans to make the UK the world leader in AI, putting artificial intelligence at the centre of its Plan for Change, aimed at speeding up economic growth and transforming public services. As part of the strategy to boost the AI sector, the Government wants to develop AI Growth Zones, where planning applications will be fast-tracked to provide the infrastructure needed for growth: Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI - GOV.UK ; Plan for Change - GOV.UK.

Whilst sectors such as healthcare and financial and professional services are already embracing AI, construction, which has been traditionally viewed as a low technology sector, is still in the early stages of adoption.

However, the construction industry collects a great deal of data, for example for compliance and monitoring, and industry bodies such as the CIOB believe that AI can help us unlock its true value: CIOB Artificial Intelligence (AI) Playbook 2024 | CIOB.

So how can we use Artificial Intelligence to increase the value of that data, improving performance and efficiency?

How can AI add value?

AI has been used in the industry for a while, for example for simple automation and data tools. The rise of AI capabilities and its availability means that the potential for AI in construction is quickly expanding. AI can provide real-time insights, predictive analysis and decision making, which can improve efficiency and sustainability throughout a project cycle.

Writing for the WEF, Meirav Oren, Executive Chairwoman and Co-Founder of AI company Versatile < Who We Are - Versatile> says: “AI can vastly improve [construction firms’] organisation, pace and efficiency….. AI has quickly become a low-cost, high-ROI solution for any organization.” < 4 ways AI is revolutionising the construction industry | World Economic Forum>

AI in sustainable design and planning

At the design stage, we are already seeing AI being used to enhance sustainability. The use of Geospatial AI for site selection is one example. It’s able to analyse complex geographical environmental and demographic data to optimise decision making.

Another use of AI is generative design. AI programmes provide a range of design variations and simulations, which allow designers and architects to identify the best options for carbon, cost and value at an early stage of the project. James Garner FRICS, Senior Director at Gleeds and Global Head of Data, Insights & Analytics says “‘The best place that you can help to bring down the carbon emissions is at the early stages of design… AI, through generative design, gives us the ability to do loads of simulations at an early stage, to make sure we're going down the right road.” < To AI or not to AI: Five trends in the adoption of AI in construction>

In addition, the Government has highlighted that AI has a role to play in the planning system, for example through speeding up the consultation process < Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI - GOV.UK >.

AI in construction environmental management and compliance

Data quality and assurance are a core part of environmental management and compliance, and AI can be used to improve efficiency and accuracy.

Capturing data on a construction site is a time-consuming process and manual input of data into platforms isn’t always accurate. Products such as SmartWaste Scan can make data gathering more efficient. At BRE we’ve developed SmartWaste Scan as a progressive AI enabled web app and solution that allows customers to capture material delivery notes and waste transfer notes from any mobile device and verify and submit these to projects in SmartWaste. The AI Optical Character Recognition (OCR) model is the clever part, which scans and extracts the data directly from the photos prefilling most of the information necessary before the document is ready for verification. BRE believes that the data verification step is fundamental to robust accurate data reporting, and this is what sets SmartWaste Scan apart from other similar software in the market. Customers rely on the accuracy of the dashboards and reports that systems like this produce, and they are only as good as the data that feeds them.

SmartWaste Scan also validates that the waste carrier and destination are compliant with waste Duty of Care obligations by cross-checking against government registers. Systems like SmartWaste Scan speed up the entry of data and improve its quality, saving time and reducing risk.

Real-time monitoring and predictive capabilities, powered by AI and IoT technologies, are also transforming environmental oversight in the construction industry. AI-enabled sensors can provide continuous monitoring of key environmental parameters such as air quality, noise levels, and water usage across construction sites. The constant surveillance allows teams to instantaneously see any changes from the norm, so that they can make an immediate response to potential issues, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

AI in infrastructure projects

In December, the Government committed to fast-track planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects before the next parliament January’s announcement on the use of AI suggests that artificial intelligence will be at the centre of large projects in the future.

If issues such as data sharing and collaboration can be successfully addressed under the AI framework, its use in public projects can act as a prompt for wider uptake across the construction sector.

Barriers

RICS identifies the biggest barrier to uptake of AI in the sector as being people < To AI or not to AI: Five trends in the adoption of AI in construction >. From a skills perspective, we can expect data literacy to become an increasingly important requirement in the sector, as teams will need to interpret data and sense-check AI decisions. As more companies adopt AI technologies, teams will be able to see the benefits of new technologies, which will remove some repetitive tasks and streamline record-keeping.

The perceived cost of adoption is another barrier to uptake. AI tools which integrate with existing systems, and which have user-friendly interfaces will have less up-front cost, both for implementation and training.

Conclusion

The construction sector is still in the early stages of adoption of AI. However, new technologies are already saving our industry time, helping us make better decisions, and reducing risk. Further use of AI can help our industry to add significant value to the data which we collect.

SmartWaste is only just starting out on the AI journey by incorporating a relatively modest AI technology into its product offering. The team can already see the huge benefits this will bring their customers and are excited by the longer-term opportunities that AI offers. Development and adoption of more advanced AI algorithms will provide customers with real-time analysis and actionable insights, that lead to more informed decision-making, reducing waste and delivering on a whole host of other ESG commitments and goals.

The Government has committed to use AI to support the growth of the economy. As public sector projects use AI to improve efficiency and cost-saving, private sector construction firms will see the benefits of adopting similar technologies, providing a catalyst for the take-up of Artificial Intelligence across the industry.

By embracing AI tools, we can build more sustainably and efficiently, contributing to sustainability and environmental goals whilst improving project outcomes.