Breffni Greene
Head of AI and Design Innovation, Henry J Lyons
The architectural sector is undergoing a transformation, requiring us to reaffirm our creative value while embracing AI as a collaborative design partner.
We have adopted a strategy focused on strengthening AI literacy across our studio, teaching fundamental capabilities that democratise access to generative design tools.
Intelligence augmentation
We aim to familiarise teams early as AI technology grows increasingly powerful and accessible. This approach involves comprehensive training to build competence and confidence, enabling everyone to integrate AI effectively.
Initial trials, which applied finely tuned large language models (LLMs) to bid preparation, delivered marked productivity gains, revealing additional potential for improvement. At HJL, we have created systematic diagrams to map thought processes, identifying where agentic AI and predefined prompts work asynchronously and tap our extensive knowledge base to streamline bid writing. We adopt a stewardship role, guiding the creative process, validating each step and reviewing outputs throughout.
Contractual administration during the construction phase is laborious, but has already become more efficient through AI integration. Subcontractors’ documentation can arrive in inconsistent formats, requiring manual verification against original specifications. Predefined, stepped LLM workflows, however, can now review, reformat and cross-check these documents, reducing manual input and improving accuracy while ensuring that human oversight is central to the process.
Adoption of AI must not
come at the expense of human
expression in the creative process.
Balancing innovation with architectural integrity
AI is already influencing client briefing requirements and the buildings we construct. Advances in chip-processing technology, for example, are forcing fundamental changes in data-centre infrastructure, reshaping how these facilities are designed, powered and cooled. We anticipate similar shifts across other building typologies in the near future.
However, overconfidence and over-reliance on AI pose a risk to maintaining architectural integrity, which requires control and oversight, ensuring the human thought process remains central to the idea. Adoption of AI must not come at the expense of human expression in the creative process.
Balance is critical for shaping the future of architecture, embracing innovation while safeguarding professional integrity as we chart the path forward. We must ensure that the tools we use actively encourage critical thinking and engage cognitive effort, enhancing our creative potential.
