AI and the Built Environment

In recent years, artificial intelligence has emerged across numerous industries, and the built environment sector is no exception. At Munday & Cramer, we’ve been exploring how AI technologies can enhance our architectural and building surveying services.

AI is increasingly becoming part of day-to-day professional life in the built environment sector. Initially adopted for research-based or process-driven tasks, we’re now seeing its use expand to more complex areas. Beyond simply assisting with admin tasks, our experience demonstrates that AI enables deeper, more comprehensive research, allowing us to provide more broadly considered advice to our clients.

The pace of development in this field has been mind-blowing. Even though much has changed in this emerging technology since RICS’ 2023 report, “The Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on the Built Environment,” the fundamental potential remains clear. We are particularly excited about the applications of AI and machine learning within our energy and environmental business thread, where data-driven insights can lead to significant improvements in sustainability outcomes.

Global Perspectives and Net Zero Ambitions

Viewing these developments through the global lens provided by RICS World Built Environment Forum Week 2024, it became clear that the UK’s Net Zero ambitions will require innovative approaches. We need smarter solutions that reduce both the effort and cost involved in delivering tangible benefits in the real world.

Research and Development Initiatives

As part of our commitment to innovation, Munday & Cramer is actively engaged in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with Anglia Ruskin University. This collaboration focuses on leveraging AI and machine learning to test data models, particularly in scenarios where available data may be crude or incomplete. We’re exploring how these technologies can help assemble predictive models that enhance decision-making in the built environment.

Educating the Next Generation

Within RICS’ wider support to the higher education sector, we’re observing how the next generation of university students and emerging professionals are adapting to AI technologies.

The current reality is that we are all, in effect, training AI through our interactions with these systems. What’s remarkable is how quickly the technology has been integrated into professional practice. Just a few years ago, AI was as unfamiliar to senior professionals as TikTok might still be to many. Today, we’re increasingly recognising the significant potential it offers our sector.

Looking Forward

At Munday & Cramer, we believe that embracing AI technologies, while maintaining a critical understanding of their capabilities and limitations, will be essential for built environment professionals moving forward. By combining our traditional expertise with these latest tools, we can deliver enhanced services that meet the complex challenges of tomorrow’s built environment.