AI in the Built Environment

Looking for your community?

If you're working with AI in planning, engineering, or construction – or you're curious about how it might help your work – this community is for you.

What's actually happening with AI in our industry?

Lots of us are experimenting with AI tools. Some are using it for design optimisation, others for predictive maintenance, and many are just trying to work out what's genuinely helpful versus what's just hype.

The problem is, we're mainly doing this in isolation. Your team might be solving the same issues someone else tackled six months ago. Or you might have cracked something that could save others weeks of effort. But without a place to share these experiences, we're all reinventing the wheel.

What we're building

The Digital Built Forum is setting up a community of practice – essentially a regular space where professionals can share what's working, what isn't, and what they've learnt along the way.

This isn't about grand visions or theoretical possibilities. It's about practical knowledge sharing between people doing the actual work.

What you'll get from joining

Real examples – See what others have actually built and tested, not just vendor demos
Honest feedback – Learn what didn't work and why, saving you from costly mistakes
Practical connections – Meet people tackling similar challenges who might become collaborators
Shared resources – Access templates, methodologies, and lessons learnt from real projects
Regular discussions – Monthly sessions on specific topics like 'AI for asset management' or 'Getting buy-in from leadership'

Who's this for?

We're looking for people who are:

Planners and urban designers trying to use data and AI to make better decisions
Engineers and architects exploring computational design or automation
Tech professionals working on AI solutions for built environment challenges
Researchers who want their work to have a practical impact
Anyone else who's curious about how AI might help (or complicate) their work

You don't need to be an AI expert. In fact, we need people who can ask the practical questions like 'But how does this actually fit into our existing workflows?' or 'What happens when the model gets it wrong?'

How it works

We'll run monthly online sessions where members can present case studies, workshop challenges, or simply ask questions. Between sessions, we'll maintain an online forum for ongoing discussions and resource sharing.

The focus is on practical outcomes. If someone shares a use case, we want to know: What problem did it solve? How much time or money did it save? What went wrong along the way? Would you do it again?

Getting started

Join the community to connect with others working through similar challenges. Whether you're just starting to explore AI or have already begun projects, your experience and questions are valuable.

The built environment moves slowly for good reasons – safety, reliability, and public trust matter. But that doesn't mean we can't learn faster together.