Ground-up solutions by practitioners, for practitioners

Objectives

• Upskill local and international young Architects, practitioners and firms in using AI and digital technologies to develop practical data-driven solutions that enhance creativity and productivity.
• Foster knowledge-sharing, innovation and collaboration within the Architecture and Built Environment community through ground-up initiatives.

Target outcomes

Enable participants to collaboratively learn, develop, and share AI-assisted approaches and applications, creating practical and innovative solutions together with the community of practice (CoPr).

This approach fosters collective initiatives and promotes scalable, collaborative outcomes, enabling participants to learn and build simultaneously.

All online sessions will be recorded and shared within the CoPr as learning resources. ArchiFest 2026 will showcase top entries.

Theme

Collaborate and Innovate: Our AI Collaboration

Topics

Open to practical topics, for example:

• Design: Optimise and rank options using user-defined KPIs; generate a summary report.
• Checks: Compliance Check drawings/models and produce an evidence-based compliance report.
• Manage: Track issues/RFIs/actions and generate status dashboards and reports.
• Contract: Manage RVOs/variations/claims and generate evidence-linked reports.
• Fabrication: Extract quantities/shop-drawing checks and generate fabrication-ready reports.
• Construction & O&M: Auto-generate site inspection reports from checklists, photos, and notes.
• Others: Add your niche use case (e.g., sustainability, safety, or asset data validation)

Target participants

Local and/or international young architects, practitioners, firms, and tech partners looking to enter the built environment can participate as individuals or self-formed groups.

Judging criteria

• Practicality & Impact (30%) – A well-defined problem statement with a feasible scope and an effective solution that addresses real-world needs. Include measurable KPIs (e.g., time, cost, quality, risk, or manual effort), with a baseline comparison.
• Collaboration & Innovation (30%) – Good local and/or international collaborative efforts, demonstrating innovative use of AI-driven agentic workflows that integrate with existing systems and processes to streamline work and improve outcomes.
• Documentation & Implementation (40%) – Clear documentation of methods, tools, and process, including links to code repositories or equivalent artefacts, with sufficient implementation details and results to show problem, approach, and outcomes.

Cash prizes (to be confirmed)

• First Prize: $3,000 (1)
• Second Prize: $2,000 (1)
• Third Prize: $1,000 (1)
• Innovation Awards: $500 (5)

Assessment Panel

• Ms Adeline LOO – BCA Construction Productivity and Quality Group Director
• Ar William Lau TY – SIA Digital Technology Committee Chair, William Lau Architects Founder
• Assist. Prof. Immanuel Koh – SUTD Assistant Professor, CAADRIA 2024 Chair

Key Sponsor

Strategic Sponsor

Benefits

1. Problem-Solving: Explore AI-assisted strategies to solve practical issues within a self-defined time
2. Upskilling: Learn AI with a community of practice at a self-driven pace
3. Networking: Connect with industry leaders and peers through the event
4. Recognition: Celebrate top projects with prizes at ArchiFest 2026 in July
5. Certification: Earn e-certification upon completion

• 25 Feb*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Ar William LAU & Dr Bernard LEONG)
• 11 Mar*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Mr Samuel OOI & Mr Keith LIM)
• 25 Mar*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Mr CHAK Lee Meng & Mr Jason LI)
• 8 Apr*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Mr TEE Jia Hen & Mr OW Jia Ming)
• 22 Apr*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Mr Krish AMBADY & Ar PAN Yicheng)
• 6 May*: Discussion, 7:00pm - 7:30pm, Sharing, 7:30pm - 8:30pm (Mr Vignesh KAUSHIK & Mr Sagar THORAT)

*Hybrid setup. Please register to attend (free). Registered participants can login to view the sharing session details and access past winning AI use cases and resources.

Venue & Access

SIA Theatrette
3rd Level, 79 Neil Road, Singapore 088904

Login to access Zoom link

BOA-SIA CPD points

4 CPD points will be awarded upon achieving at least 75% attendance (4 out of 5 discussion and sharing sessions).

Speakers

Ar William LAU (LinkedIn)
Principal at William Lau Architects
As Principal at William Lau Architects, I bring over 40 years of experience leading architectural projects. I hold a Master's degree in Project Management from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Singapore. My expertise includes architecture, construction management, and technology integration, with a strong commitment to innovative and sustainable design for clients and the community.

Samuel OOI (LinkedIn)
IDD Specialist, RSP Architects
Sam is an architectural BIM Specialist based in Singapore with 3 years' experience across Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, focused on high-rise residential projects. I specialise in BIM management, coordination, and modelling, and I'm actively exploring automation, programming, and computational workflows to build better tools for future architects.

CHAK Lee Meng (LinkedIn)
Chak Lee Meng is a technology leader with 30+ years of experience delivering enterprise and mission-critical systems. He brings deep hands-on expertise in the built environment and infrastructure sectors, applying AI, Generative AI, and agentic systems to orchestrate workflows, decision-making, and operations across complex build environments.

Jason LI (LinkedIn)
Associate Director, DIST, M.Moser
Jason Li is an Associate Director at M Moser Associates, leading the global DIST and GAIA groups. He focuses on applying AI and technology to interior design and architectural practice, with an emphasis on sustainability and wellness. With 9+ years at M Moser, he is WELL Faculty and a LEED AP (ID+C, O+M), WELL AP, RESET AP, Trimble Visiting Professional, and BCA Green Mark AP, and has received awards including the buildingSMART China National BIM Contest.

Dr Bernard LEONG (LinkedIn)
CEO and Co-founder, Dorje AI
Bernard Leong is the founder/CEO of Dorje AI and an adjunct educator with NUS Business School / NUS-ISS. Formerly the Group CDIO at Woh Hup (construction), he focuses on agentic AI workflow automation, secure, customer-cloud deployments, multi-agent orchestration, and approval-driven document/finance processes.

Keith LIM (LinkedIn)
Enterprise Consultant, Canonical
Keith Lim is a tech advisor at Handdi.io, based in Singapore. An SMU Economics and Quantitative Finance graduate (Cum Laude), he blends finance, data science, and AI, with experience in trading, research, and building Python automation tools. He is also exploring agentic AI workflows—multi-step AI agents that plan, call tools, and automate real tasks from data extraction to decision-ready reports.

TEE Jia Hen (LinkedIn)
Technical Lead, GovTech
Builder at heart with over a decade of experience in software engineering. As a Technical Lead at GovTech, Jia Hen sits at the intersection of system modernization and AI innovation. Currently, Jia Hen manages the government innovation platform and leads AI incubator teams, using tools like Next.js and LLMs to solve complex public sector problems. His focus is on high-performance architecture and security governance, having delivered Innovation value through strategic technical leadership.

OW Jia Ming (LinkedIn)
Executive Manager, BCA
Jia Ming drives R&I investments and open innovation at BCA through programmes like BEAMP. With prior VC and ecosystem roles at SGInnovate and Impact X, he bridges startups and industry to accelerate tech adoption in the built environment. He holds a First-Class Honours in Economics and Politics from the University of London.

Krish AMBADY (LinkedIn)
CTO, Avatar Agentic AI Pte Ltd
Seasoned professional with extensive experience in computer systems, Intelligent Building Technology, clean-energy technology, and nuclear instrumentation. Proven expertise in curriculum design, software development, and project management, with significant contributions to academia. Passionate about fostering innovation, mentoring students, and driving impactful AI projects. Currently embarking on a focused AI journey to create innovative, industry-ready solutions.

Ar PAN Yi Cheng (LinkedIn)
Founder of Type0 Architects
Ar Pan integrates computational techniques to create innovative, technology-driven spaces. With globally recognized projects, his work redefines design through a multidisciplinary approach, blending craftsmanship, digital precision, and material experimentation.

Vignesh KAUSHIK (LinkedIn)
Principal & Partner at Gensler
Vignesh Kaushik is Regional Director of Design Technology at Gensler for Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Greater China and Europe. He champions digital transformation through generative design and computational systems, and is a thought leader in AI, machine learning, and BIM. A contributor to Singapore's Computational BIM workgroup, he also runs Thank God It's Computational (TGIC) to advance AEC technology, while actively mentoring and teaching computational design across Southeast Asia.

Sagar THORAT (LinkedIn)
Sr. Technical Sales Lead ASEAN, AUTODESK
Sagar is an Architectural Engineer and BIM Technologist with over 15 years of Experience in the AEC and Product Manufacturing Industry ranging from material fabrication technologies, bespoke building envelopes to Large scale mixed use Building projects in APAC, EU and USA. He earned his Master's Degree in Architectural Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. As a BIM Mentor he has implemented BIM & VDC technologies in multiple organizations across the AECO Industry globally. His special interest lies in Computational Design, openBIM and the integrations of 5D BIM and Digital Twin technologies.

Target deliverables

• 3 online Submissions for Topic & Scope, Tests & Strategies and Documentation & Records
• Max 10-slide presentation deck

Templates and examples are shared with registered participants in the AI Sharing page.

Deadlines

• 18 Mar, 11:59pm: Prelim submission (Problem Statement)
• 15 Apr, 11:59pm: Midterm submission (Solution)
• 13 May, 11:59pm: Final submission
• 20 May, 6:30pm - 9:30pm: Shortlisted projects presentation and assessment
• 24 Jul: Forum & Ceremony at ArchiFest 2026 (to be confirmed)

Submission links are shared with registered participants.