GNI International Symposium

on Artificial Intelligence for the Built World

To kick off the newly founded TUM Georg Nemetschek Institute Artificial Intelligence for the Built World (GNI)the Institute hosted an international symposium with leading researchers in the field in April 2021. The Kickoff Symposium gave a broad overview of current research in the field and in particular on opportunities, visions, and expected impact of AI on the construction sector. Conceiving, designing, and sustaining the built environment are among the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The use of the latest modern computer technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning offer completely new possibilities for ecologically and economically sustainable solutions to this challenge. Thanks to a generous donation of the Nemetschek Innovation Foundation, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) founded the GNI in 2021, to conduct research on this future-oriented technological focus area.

20th – 22nd April 2021

The symposium was be held as a virtual event across three consecutive evenings, April 20th – April 22nd 2021.

Presentations

Please find the symposium
presentations here.

Speakers

Please find more information
about the speakers here.

Program

Please find more information
regarding the program here.

April 20th, 2021

André Borrmann, Introduction GNI
Interim Director GNI, Professor at the Chair for Computational Modeling and Simulation, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, and speaker of the TUM Leonhard-Obermeyer-Center.

Prof. Georg Nemetschek, Welcome Address
Founder, majority shareholder and guiding spirit of the Nemetschek Group. 

Martin Fischer
Adding value to project teams and clients through the application of AI

Burcu Akinci
Context Driven Analytics and AI for Infrastructure and Facility Management

April 21st, 2021

Rafael Sacks
BIM and AI: Fundamental Research Challenges

Markus König
Synthetic training data for machine learning in construction

 

Alisa Andrasek
Building for Complexity: AI Accelerated Evolution of the Built World

Jennifer Whyte
Data-driven design and uncertainty

Reinhard König
Artificial Intelligence for Architectural and Urban Design

 

Mani Golparvar-Fard
Balancing Rigor and Relevance where Computer Vision Meets Construction Management

Burcin Becerik-Gerber
People centric AI for the Built Environment

April 22nd, 2021

Eleni Chatzi
On the Synergy of data and models for taming uncertainty in Diagnosis & Prognosis for Infrastructure

Frédéric Bosché
Synergies of AI and Digital Twinning in Construction

 

Slobodan Ilic
Computer Vision and AI Solutions for Digital Twin in Industrial Environments

Timo Hartmann
From today’s knowledge to future visions – data driven engineering of the natural and built environment

Philipp Geyer
Component-based Machine Learning: Generalization and Explainability

 

Jerome Lynch
Enhancing Infrastructure Management through Data and Machine Learning Methods

Speakers

André Borrmann
Interim Director GNI

Professor at the Chair for Computational Modeling and Simulation, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, and speaker of the TUM Leonhard-Obermeyer-Center.

Nora El-Gohary
Speaker

Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. 

Reinhard König
Speaker

Junior-Professor for Computational Architecture at Bauhaus-University Weimar, Germany, and Principle Investigator at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), and the Future Cities Lab, Singapore ETH Centre.

Slobodan Ilic
Speaker

Senior Key Expert Research Scientist at Siemens AG and Senior Affiliate Lecturer at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality in Germany.

André Borrmann
Interim Director GNI

Professor at the Chair for Computational Modeling and Simulation, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, and speaker of the TUM Leonhard-Obermeyer-Center.

Nora El-Gohary
Speaker

Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. 

Reinhard König
Speaker

Junior-Professor for Computational Architecture at Bauhaus-University Weimar, Germany, and Principle Investigator at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), and the Future Cities Lab, Singapore ETH Centre.

Slobodan Ilic
Speaker

Senior Key Expert Research Scientist at Siemens AG and Senior Affiliate Lecturer at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality in Germany.

Martin Fischer
Speaker

Kumagai Professor in the School of Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Standford University, USA. 

Ian Smith
Speaker

Professor Emeritus of Applied Computing and Mechanics Laboratory at the EPFL, Switzerland.

Eleni Chatzi
Speaker

Professor at the Chair of Structural Mechanics and Monitoring at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Timo Hartmann
Speaker

Professor for Systems Engineering at the TU Berlin, Germany.

Martin Fischer
Speaker

Kumagai Professor in the School of Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Standford University, USA. 

Ian Smith
Speaker

Professor Emeritus of Applied Computing and Mechanics Laboratory at the EPFL, Switzerland.

Eleni Chatzi
Speaker

Professor at the Chair of Structural Mechanics and Monitoring at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Timo Hartmann
Speaker

Professor for Systems Engineering at the TU Berlin, Germany.

Frédéric Bosché
Speaker

Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Infrastructure and Environment and President of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC) in Scotland, UK. He leads the CyberBuild Lab.

Burcu Akinci
Speaker

Paul Christiano Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Associate Dean for Research for the College of Engineering, Director of the Engineering Research Accelerator, and co-director of Pennsylvania Smarter Infrastructure Incubator at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. 

Mani Golparvar-Fard
Speaker

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Computer Science, & Technology Entrepreneurship, Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow, Excellence Faculty Fellow, and director of the Real-time and Automated Monitoring and Control Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Burcin Becerik-Gerber
Speaker

Professor at the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of University of Southern California, USA, and the founding director of the Innovation in Integrated Informatics LAB and the Center for Intelligent Environments, Technology, and Society.

Frédéric Bosché
Speaker

Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Infrastructure and Environment and President of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC) in Scotland, UK. He leads the CyberBuild Lab.

Burcu Akinci
Speaker

Paul Christiano Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Associate Dean for Research for the College of Engineering, Director of the Engineering Research Accelerator, and co-director of Pennsylvania Smarter Infrastructure Incubator at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. 

Mani Golparvar-Fard
Speaker

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Computer Science, & Technology Entrepreneurship, Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow, Excellence Faculty Fellow, and director of the Real-time and Automated Monitoring and Control Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Burcin Becerik-Gerber
Speaker

Professor at the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of University of Southern California, USA, and the founding director of the Innovation in Integrated Informatics LAB and the Center for Intelligent Environments, Technology, and Society.

Markus König
Speaker

Professor of the Institute of Computing in Engineering at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

Jerome Lynch
Speaker

Professor and Donald Malloure Department Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, USA.

Rafael Sacks
Speaker

Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Jennifer Whyte
Speaker

Professor and Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London, England.

Markus König
Speaker

Professor of the Institute of Computing in Engineering at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

Jerome Lynch
Speaker

Professor and Donald Malloure Department Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, USA.

Rafael Sacks
Speaker

Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Jennifer Whyte
Speaker

Professor and Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London, England.

Philipp Geyer
Speaker

Visiting Professor and head of the Chair Digital Architecture und Sustainability at the TU Berlin, Germany.

Alisa Andrasek
Speaker

Professor of Design Innovation Technologies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.

Philipp Geyer
Speaker

Visiting Professor and head of the Chair Digital Architecture und Sustainability at the TU Berlin, Germany.

Alisa Andrasek
Speaker

Professor of Design Innovation Technologies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.

Program

 

The symposium will be held as a virtual event across three consecutive afternoons, April 20th – April 22nd 2021.
Registration will grant free access to all three sessions.

(All times are in the CEST Timezone)

April 20th

Chair: Ernst Rank

15:00 – 15:30 GNI Symposium Opening

Welcome by President Hofmann of the TUM
Welcome Address by Prof. Georg Nemetschek

 

15:30 – 16:00 Introduction to GNI

Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Borrmann (Interim Director Georg Nemetschek Institute)

 

16:00 – 18:30 Keynotes

16:00 – 16:35 Ian Smith
How can AI help engineers create and manage the built world?

16:35 – 17:10 Martin Fischer
Adding value to project teams and clients through the application of AI

17:10 – 17:45 Burcu Akinci
Context Driven Analytics and AI for Infrastructure and Facility Management

17:45 – 18:20 Nora El-Gohary
Data Analytics and AI for the Built Environment: Opportunities and Challenges

April 21st

Chair: Ian Smith

14:30 – 16:00 Keynotes

14:30 – 15:00 Rafael Sacks
BIM and AI: Fundamental Research Challenges

15:00 – 15:30 Markus König 
Synthetic training data for machine learning in construction

15:30 – 16:00 Alisa Andrasek
Building for Complexity: AI Accelerated Evolution of the Built World

16:00 – 16:15 Break

 

16:15 – 17:15 Keynotes

16:15 – 16:45 Jennifer Whyte
Data-driven design and uncertainty

16:45 – 17:15 Reinhard König
Artificial Intelligence for Architectural and Urban Design

 

17:15 – 17:30 Break

 

17:30 – 18:30 Keynotes

17:30 – 18:00 Mani Golparvar-Fard
Balancing Rigor and Relevance where Computer Vision Meets Construction Management

18:00 – 18:30 Burcin Becerik-Gerber
People centric AI for the Built Environment

 

April 22nd

Chair: André Borrmann

14:30 – 16:00 Keynotes

14:30 – 15:00 Eleni Chatzi
On the Synergy of data and models for taming uncertainty in Diagnosis & Prognosis for Infrastructure

15:00 – 15:30 Frederic Bosché
Synergies of AI and Digital Twinning in Construction

15:30 – 16:00 Slobodan Ilic
Computer Vision and AI Solutions for Digital Twin in Industrial Environments

16:00 – 16:15 Break 

 

16:15 – 17:15 Keynotes

16:15 – 16:45 Timo Hartmann
From today’s knowledge to future visions – data driven engineering of the natural and built environment

16:45 – 17:10 Philipp Geyer
Component-based Machine Learning: Generalization and Explainability

17:15 – 17:30 Break

 

17:30 – 18:30 Keynotes

17:30 – 18:00 Jerome Lynch
Enhancing Infrastructure Management through Data and Machine Learning Methods