ConTech and AI to Transform Architecture and Development by ۲۰۳۰

According to SAMA, Majid Kianpour, strategy lead for the Hachiroud project, on the second day of the 24th National Conference and Exhibition of Builders, Developers and Designers, introduced the concept of “ConTech” (Construction Technology) and highlighted the productivity gap between the construction industry and other sectors. He also discussed the application of artificial intelligence in architectural selection, procurement, contracting, project management, simulation, cost control and continuous project learning.

Kianpour began his presentation by introducing the concept of “ConTech” — a field that, in his words, is set to bring technology into architecture, engineering, construction and development in a structured way. He noted that the construction industry has seen far lower productivity growth over the past two decades compared with many other industries, and that this gap represents both a problem and a major opportunity for innovation.

The global construction market and the need for productivity gains

Kianpour pointed to the very large size of the global construction market and said that if future growth in this industry is not accompanied by productivity improvements, the result will be higher costs, pressure on sale prices and reduced project profitability. He stressed that a large part of architectural, engineering, project management, procurement, contracting and planning activity is non-physical in nature, and it is precisely these areas that have the greatest potential for digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence.

He described the structure of the industry as resting on three pillars — the architect, the builder and the developer — and said that aligning the interests and decisions of these three parties is one of the most complex parts of any project. Technology can reduce some of this complexity by generating more options, enabling faster comparison and clarifying the impact of each decision.

The changing role of the architect by 2030

Speaking about the future of architecture, Kianpour said that by 2030 the way architects work will change dramatically. In his view, artificial intelligence can play a role in receiving the brief, generating alternatives, evaluating scenarios and even selecting the appropriate architect or team. Instead of an architecture firm being chosen solely on the basis of reputation or past experience, a developer may be able to compare and validate a range of options against project-specific criteria.

He stressed that this transformation does not mean the elimination of the architect; rather, it can free the architect from part of the repetitive computational and production work, allowing greater focus on spatial quality, unit mix, project economics and future operational performance. According to Kianpour, the real value emerges when technology enables the selection and testing of multiple scenarios before a decision is finalised.

The role of technology in project financial management and procurement

Kianpour then addressed the issue from the developer’s perspective, saying that a developer must simultaneously control contracts, contractor schedules, cost reporting, cash flow and delivery quality. In the Iranian market, where barter arrangements and liquidity constraints play a significant role, cash-flow control becomes critically important from the very first day of a project.

He explained that his own project team, before the start of physical operations, defined the path for securing liquidity and sought to create parallel financial flows to cover monthly expenses. The goal is to ensure that the project is not run solely through pre-sales or by shifting the financial burden onto the end buyer, and that operational decisions are not altered because of short-term cash shortages.

Kianpour identified another application of ConTech in “procurement” — purchasing and supply. According to him, the market for materials and equipment offers a wide range of options, and comparing price, quality, delivery time and technical specifications simultaneously using traditional methods is difficult. Digital tools and artificial intelligence can help the developer compare multiple options within a consistent framework and move purchasing decisions away from individual preference.

He extended the same approach to contracts, saying that in complex projects, multiple contracts must be viewed together to ensure that the interests of the end buyer, developer, contractor and supplier do not come into irreconcilable conflict. He cited the reduction of aimless meetings and the transformation of sessions into sets of concrete actions as one of the desirable outcomes of such a system.

Learning during construction and the introduction of the “sixth team member”

Kianpour also addressed the concept of “learning during construction.” In his words, if data from each stage is recorded, the execution of the next floor or phase can benefit from the experience of the same project. In this way, a project evolves from a repetitive process into a learning system that reduces errors, rework and waste over time.

He then introduced the “sixth team member” — an artificial intelligence agent named “Leo,” a name derived from the three words Learn, Explore and Optimize. Kianpour said this agent is being trained to review scenarios, compare global benchmarks, monitor project indicators and provide recommendations to the team.

Kianpour also set out a series of quantitative goals for this model: reducing time, cost, manpower, energy consumption and rework, while increasing the capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously and improving sales value. These figures were presented in his talk as targets and estimates of the project’s digital model, and are to be measured in practice.

In closing, he presented the Hachiroud project as a pilot case for “digital architecture serving organic, user-centric spaces,” and said the team’s aim is to ensure that technology is used not as a showpiece but as a real decision-making tool across the entire project development cycle.