Ten AI-led startups have joined Digital Catapult’s BridgeAI programme to solve construction inefficiencies in collaboration with Foster + Partners, Buro Happold, and Versarien Construction. The programme, delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with Digital Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute, the Hartree Centre (Science and Technology Facilities Council), and the British Standards Institution, aims to promote the practical application of artificial intelligence in high-growth sectors.
The cohort will explore AI-driven solutions to operational inefficiencies in the UK construction sector, focusing on challenges such as design and compliance, 3D construction printing, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Startups include AIConstruct, working on a parametric script generator for 3D printing; Planninghub, enhancing its AI assistant for residential planning applications; and DONAA, developing a prototype tool for evaluating material durability.
Other startups include Lattice, developing AI tools for generative design and predictive maintenance; Fairware, prototyping a platform for real-time insights on materials and manufacturing analysis; BOHM, advancing its decentralised data system; Infinitive, creating a generative design tool for modular construction systems; and Constructify, working on an AI-powered project management platform.
The programme offers access to compute infrastructure, consultancy, and networking with industry partners. With building costs projected to increase by 17% over the next five years, the construction industry is under pressure to improve efficiency. Martha Tsigkari, Head of Applied Research and Development at Foster + Partners, said, “We recognise the significant value that initiatives such as the BridgeAI accelerator bring… We are eager to contribute to the impactful ideas that will emerge from this programme.”
Image Courtesy: bdonline.co.uk
