Atlanta-based architecture startup Cove is launching what it is billing as the first full-service architecture practice powered by artificial intelligence.
The new practice, Cove Architecture, is the result of $25M in research and development for a two-part AI framework aimed at disrupting the industry and reshaping how buildings are designed and developed.
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The framework will be used to help architects design buildings that meet local zoning codes, budgets and sustainability goals while cutting out inefficiencies.
Cove CEO Sandeep Ahuja told Bisnow that the tool is already in use on one project, helping to optimize costs and streamline the design process.
“What we have been able to do, as AI has continued to grow, was take that final leap and pull all of our years of work wrapped together to be able to harness the power of AI,” Ahuja said.
The architecture practice is centered around two AI components: Vitras.ai, which sifts through reams of data and processes it for critical insights, and ARK_BIM, which takes that information and translates it into 3D models, cost analyses and construction documents.
The development team took nearly a decade to develop the technology, which flags cost variables, highlights code compliance and identifies potential red flags with more than 95% accuracy, the company said.
Ahuja said Cove Architecture tools are helpful for the architecture industry, which has historically involved long work hours and poor pay.
“The way that we are redefining how architecture is done is disruptive because I think it takes away from these awful current practices of everyone being overworked and not being paid very well,” she said. “I'm excited about redefining the business of architecture.”
The practice comes as AI permeates almost every facet of the commercial real estate sector. For architects, AI has been useful to create designs for developments within seconds, build data sets, conduct research and create work agendas.
And though some experts warn that AI usage brings potential risk, including impacts on the future workforce, Ahuja said that isn't the case here.
“I feel like people, a lot of the times, conflate the idea of technology with replacement,” Ahuja said.
The firm's first project is in Atlanta, a 15-unit housing complex at 1247 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. in the city's West End neighborhood.
Ahuja said that project saw a 60% reduction in design timelines, 95% accuracy on cost estimates and a 40% cut in design iteration expenses.
“We got introduced to [the developer], and as we talked to them about our data-driven, AI-driven approach to design, they were immediately interested,” she said.
Given the uncertainty in the market, Ahuja said it has never been more important for developers and architects to efficiently design projects to meet budgets and deadlines. The company has already seen interest from several teams.
“I think the key reason to that is AI but, more importantly, the impact that AI can have, which is to empower folks with much more deeper insights than they ever could,” Ahuja said. “It takes the whole conversation away from pure design but to the actual numbers that drive that project.”
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