Researchers at Birmingham City University (BCU) have developed automation tools that cut the time taken to check structural connections in digital building models by 96%.
Developed in partnership with Midlands steel construction specialist HadleyFrame, the tools cut the structural engineering task from four hours to just 10 minutes, helping engineers identify potential problems earlier and reducing the risk of costly errors later.
The first tool streamlines the copying process by allowing engineers to define their own parameters each time, removing the need to manually reconfigure the tool for each new scenario. This cuts the time it takes for a batch of five copies from 15 minutes to 12, a 20% saving that can have a huge impact on large-scale projects.
The second tool automatically scans an entire digital building model to flag missing or unexpected structural connections before components reach the factory floor.
“Both savings matter not just for efficiency, but for safety,” said Dr Ilnaz Ashayeri, senior lecturer in construction management at BCU and principal investigator of the project. “Working closely with HadleyFrame and supported by our research team, we focused on developing practical solutions that could be tested against real engineering challenges and deliver immediate value to industry.
“Missing structural connections have historically gone undetected until the fabrication stage, where identifying and fixing errors is far more costly and disruptive.”
Real-world testing
The technology was tested on a five-storey modular residential building in Derbyshire, which contained more than 18,000 structural connections, demonstrating its ability to work at the scale required for real construction projects.
“Automation isn’t optional anymore in construction; it’s a necessity,” Dr Ashayeri added. “But big promises don’t move industries forward – real deliverables do. Small, focused projects like this one are exactly what it takes to show people what’s actually possible and get them genuinely interested in doing more.”
The automation tools were designed, developed, tested and validated by research assistant and PhD student Fatemeh Najafi Sanagoo.
The tools were built, tested and validated against real-world projects delivered by HadleyFrame, providing credible evidence of how targeted automation can improve productivity, quality assurance and safety within modern methods of construction.
Oliver McCormick, lead draughtsperson at HadleyFrame, said: “The collaboration ensured the tools were not only technically robust, but also capable of delivering meaningful benefits to the way modern construction projects are designed and delivered.”
