AI and BIM: Taking Away the Repetitive, Keeping the Creative15 October 2025
AI’s real value isn’t in creativity - it’s in removing what drags creativity down.
“It’s about automating repetitive tasks, so architects have more capacity to think and innovate.” - Regina Braum, BIM Manager, Architect.
AI and automation are already part of how buildings are designed. But there’s a big difference between the hype and what actually helps on a live project.
For owners, investors and consultants, the real question isn’t whether AI is coming - it’s whether it can make decisions clearer, compliance easier, and buildings more adaptable over the long term.
That’s where BIM comes in.
Compliance That Lives Beyond Paper
“On paper, most large architectural practices are ISO 19650 compliant. But often that’s different from really living it.” - Regina Braum, BIM Manager, Architect
This is one of the biggest risks in the industry right now. BIM ISO 19650 is designed to bring order to the way data is structured, shared and maintained. But in reality, many models stop at the 3D geometry. The information that matters most - manufacturer data, installation dates, maintenance intervals, end-of-life - is often incomplete or inconsistent.
That gap matters for clients. A model without reliable data isn’t just an inconvenience; it can expose them to risk. Without a clear audit trail, they struggle to prove compliance with EU carbon directives and corporate sustainability reporting. For investors, that means exposure to stranded asset risk.
When compliance is lived, not just claimed, the difference is key to the success of the project. “If you capture the right data from the start, the model becomes an asset - not just a drawing.” Facilities teams can plan upgrades, simulate and plan preventative maintenance, and integrate BIM into their smart building systems. Clients gain the certainty of a data trail that stands up to scrutiny.
The challenge is timing. “Facility managers often come into projects too late. Clients don’t always know what BIM data they need - so when we’re BIM Lead, we guide them through the Exchange Information Requirements. That way the right data is captured from the outset.”
AI at the Earliest Stage
Where AI makes the biggest impact is before detailed design begins. From a simple sketch, AI platforms can now run multiple analyses in minutes:
- Wind – understanding how building form will perform in context
- Daylight and energy – optimising façade orientation and glazing
- Shape and massing – testing options for embodied carbon before the first line is drawn
On recent data centre projects in Europe, we tested these AI tools by running them against completed designs. The results validated decisions already made - a useful confirmation - but also highlighted areas where an early intervention could have saved time and money.
“We’ve used AI for wind and daylight analysis to refine building orientation and façade design. Even from a sketch, you can get results that guide major decisions before design is locked in.”
For developers and investors, this means more than efficiency. It means designing for uncertainty. No one knows whether future demand will come from AI workloads, quantum computing or new technologies yet to emerge. But by stress-testing options early, buildings are less likely to become obsolete before they open.
Automation That Frees Up Time
AI gets the headlines, but automation inside BIM is where the real day-to-day gains are felt.
“Resizing windows across an entire building, dimensioning, producing schedules - that’s the kind of repetitive work automation takes off our plate.”
MCA has developed custom Revit scripts to handle exactly these tasks:
- auto-resizing windows to meet room standards
- automating dimensioning across whole floors
- generating schedules and quantities instantly
- linking materials to carbon analysis layers for instant sustainability checks
In practical terms, what might have taken two or three days of manual checks can now be done in under an hour. That’s not just a cost saving - it’s time freed for creative, critical thinking.
“It’s about automating repetitive tasks, so architects have more capacity to think and innovate.”
Avoiding the AI Trap
But with every new tool comes a risk. Regina recalls how BIM was first adopted: “People would throw things into the model without checking, and it would get messy. Nobody could follow what was happening.”
The same risk applies to AI. Left unchecked, it can flood projects with outputs that look useful but aren’t interrogated.
That’s why our approach is deliberate: use AI to generate scenarios, but never outsource judgment. “AI can run the scenarios, but it’s the architect who decides what makes sense.”
This distinction matters. Architects carry accountability for the choices that shape a building’s long-term performance. An algorithm can’t balance cost against carbon, or weigh the operational trade-offs of two different cooling strategies. Those are human decisions, informed by data but rooted in professional judgment.
The Human in the Loop
AI’s real value isn’t in creativity - it’s in removing what drags creativity down. Calculations, repetitive checks, parameter-driven adjustments: these can all be automated.
What’s left is the space for design. “We use AI to help us make decisions - not to make decisions for us.”
That’s not just a philosophical stance. It has practical consequences for the client. An architect with more time to think can:
- Spot risks before they become redesigns.
- Explore alternative layouts that improve efficiency.
- Consider how today’s design choices will hold up under tomorrow’s demands.
In other words, the more the software does the repetitive work, the more the architect can focus on making the building better.
AI’s real value isn’t in creativity - it’s providing capacity for human innovative thinking.
For developers and investors, the pressure has never been higher. EU regulations on carbon, corporate sustainability reporting, and the risk of stranded assets mean that every decision carries more weight.
AI and BIM together can take away uncertainty in the technical and repetitive. But the real advantage is how they create clarity for human decision-making.
The buildings that succeed won’t be those that automate everything. They’ll be the ones where automation provides the foundation and architects use that foundation to design with foresight, creativity and accountability.
Better is our Blueprint.
About Regina
Regina Braum is BIM Manager at MCA Architects. Originally from Brazil, she studied Architecture before completing a postgraduate degree in Interior Design and a Master’s in Construction Project Management in the UK. With over a decade of BIM experience, including six years with M&E consultancy IN2 Engineering, Regina bridges design and technology, ensuring projects are compliant, future-proofed, and built on solid data.