Learn more about how AI could enhance design speed, precision and creativity through smarter digital tools.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the hottest discussion points in the architecture profession and there is, without doubt, a growing familiarity with the burgeoning technology across the profession – usually through hands-on experience of generative AI text apps such as ChatGPT or instant concept image generators like Midjourney. But a promised future of genuinely AI-driven workflows, an end to repetitive tasks and truly expert virtual helpmates at your beck and call 24/7, still remains unrealised.
One of the world’s leading professional services firms, WSP Global, has announced a seven-year strategic partnership with Microsoft to make the AI vision a reality in an accelerated timeframe. The two heavyweights are promising to leverage each other’s expertise in their respective industries to push the boundaries of what’s possible across the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.
RIBA invited Dale Sinclair, WSP’s UK Head of Digital Innovation, to discuss what an AI-Architect collaboration like this might be able to deliver within just a few years, and how these kinds of collaborations can affect the profession.
Where is architecture at with AI at the moment?
Architects have been leveraging AI tools for some time, including generative design tools, so for many the concept of AI is not new. What we see today is that members of the design team – including other designers, engineers and project managers – are starting to use AI to optimise their work. This includes more rapid iterations of design concepts using data-driven approaches, as well as writing better and more succinct reports.
There are several AI tools that have come to market in the last year. They aim to bring insights and the ability to create comprehensive text or to hone existing text to suit new queries. At present, the focus is on ethics and security concerns in these areas and, of course, what should and should not be input into these tools.
The simple fact is that these tools don’t always get it right and are only as good as the knowledge they are linked to. Simply put, it’s not possible to become an expert using these tools at this point in time, and they should be used with caution and under the guidance of experts.
"To deliver enhanced and responsible solutions, we need the combined power of human and artificial intelligence."
Where do you see the AI growth in the midterm?
The tools mentioned above have seen the most growth recently, but this is not where we see the direction of travel. Currently, professionals are focused on optimising traditional ways of designing and constructing buildings. In the future, AI will be part of a paradigm shift that is expected to enable us to manage knowledge and decision-making more effectively, and deliver projects faster, cheaper, better and with lower carbon outcomes. We anticipate that this will radically transform how we design and construct buildings.
How can AEC companies benefit from a strategic partnership like WSP and Microsoft?
We are actively working on co-developing services and solutions that will re-shape how we design, build, operate and maintain the built and natural environment. WSP has a well-established culture of innovation, and by adding Microsoft’s technologies and collaborating with their technical experts, digital will become an enabler to help solve the world’s most complex challenges. To deliver enhanced and responsible solutions, we need the combined power of human and artificial intelligence.
AI will help bring previously unthought-of solutions to market, allowing everyone to focus on the unique challenges of specific projects rather than starting from scratch each time. This essential collaboration between human intellect and AI will enable more value-added tasks for engineers and scientists, benefiting everyone through this digital transformation.
What will be the key challenges in integrating advanced digital solutions into traditional AEC workflows? How will your Microsoft collaboration tackle this?
Traditional AEC workflows are heuristic, and shifting beyond this approach will be culturally very difficult.
For example, BIM has resulted in complex models linked to huge datasets, yet rather than keeping these models live we discard the data, delivering scaled drawings for review and sign-off rather than upskilling the industry to review in the model environment.
To leverage AI solutions, we must shift from heuristic methods to expert systems, data science and different ways of making decisions. This will need adjustments to the design process, but it should result in less complexity and greater certainty of outcomes.
What are the longer-term strategic objectives behind this seven-year partnership?
The partnership will see Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI-powered productivity tool that leverages large language models (LLMs), adopted by WSP globally. This means that tens of thousands of WSP professionals will soon have access to AI integrations that support and augment their ways of working and help eliminate mundane tasks.
Our longer-term ambition is to be a catalyst for change in modernising our industry generally. We see potential for Microsoft to leverage the combination of our complementary capabilities to deliver change across the AEC industry.
We intend to bring new digital solutions to market and we will be helping to solve our shared clients’ most pressing challenges. Identified benefits include, but will not be limited to:
- Building efficient data centres, with a focus on environmental and social considerations.
- Acting as a catalyst for digital innovation within our industry.
- Enhancing the industry’s ability to optimise operations and maintenance of places and infrastructure.
How do digital twins (virtual, real-time representations of a physical object, system, or process, using data, simulation and modeling to mirror its behaviour and performance) and real-time data analytics fit into this vision?
The AEC industry functions with vast amounts of data and documentation, which makes deriving consistent and meaningful insights a challenge.
We intend to combine the knowledge of our engineers and scientists to distil and validate technical content in their areas of expertise. The power of digital technology will accelerate the collection, collation and timely analysis of a variety of data sources. This dual approach aims to provide growing insights to better plan for future resilience.
Thanks to Dale Sinclair, Head of Digital Innovation, WSP in the UK.
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