AI in Architecture.

Out of 30 Architects, I Was the Only One Using AI!

Earlier this year, I attended a CPD event for my industry, and a conversation from the floor left me genuinely surprised. Out of about thirty fellow architects in the room, I was the only one actively utilising specific AI solutions like Rendair in my daily workflow.

Is this AI?

The consensus was still "it's too new" or "it's too generic." My view? We risk falling behind if we don't embrace the tools that free us from the mundane.

AI for Efficiency: Creating Space to Create

We've integrated AI not to replace design, but to make our initial process exponentially faster:

·       Rendair (Conceptual Design): We use tools like Rendair to rapidly generate optimised initial concepts based on complex site parameters, planning constraints, and energy efficiency targets. This moves us from rough sketching to a refined, technically informed starting point in hours, not days.

·       Chat Tools (Research): I regularly use LLMs (chat tools) to drastically reduce the research time for reports. Gathering data on niche planning policies, building control standards, or complex material specifications can take hours; now, that data can be collated and summarised for expert review in minutes. I am still checking the data as I haven’t yet totally learnt to trust these tools but I can see an end in sight.

The goal here is pure efficiency: reclaiming time that was previously spent on repetitive tasks.

The Irreplaceable Core: Human Connection

This is the vital distinction. While AI excels at creating space and optimising data, it cannot currently touch the most specialist part of an RIBA architect’s job:

It is the time spent in close proximity to the client, understanding their hopes, their family dynamics, their morning routine, and the emotional connection they have to their plot of land.

Both images were assisted using AI

Designing a home extension or a new build is deeply personal. It requires empathy, trust, and the ability to translate vague aspirations into tangible, buildable poetry. This qualitative, human-centric expertise is where we should be doubling down, using the time AI has saved us to deepen that client relationship.

Are you using AI to free up your design bandwidth? If not, what reservations are holding you back?