The First Conference on Gen-AI in Built Environment

Conference overview

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) is rapidly reshaping the built environment, offering unprecedented opportunities to personalise education, streamline routine tasks, enhance creative design, and drive data-informed decision-making. From design and construction to operations and facilities management, Gen-AI has the potential to significantly boost productivity and transform professional practices. As this disruptive technology gains momentum, urgent questions arise around its ethical, technical, and pedagogical implications. How can industry adopt Gen-AI responsibly and effectively? How can educators prepare the next generation of professionals? And how can we ensure that innovation aligns with integrity and impact?

The First Conference on Gen-AI in the Built Environment responds to this moment of transformation. Co-organised by Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), ATLAS SkillTech University (India), and the Council of Heads of the Built Environment (CHOBE), this one-day event brings together industry leaders, educators, and researchers for critical dialogue, bold ideas, and collaborative problem-solving. Join us for a dynamic programme of insightful presentations, interactive sessions, and meaningful networking. Contributions from a wide range of disciplines are welcome, encouraging cross-sector knowledge sharing and mutual learning. We believe that diverse perspectives are essential to navigating the opportunities and challenges of Gen-AI in ways that are inclusive, responsible, and forward-thinking.

Who Should Attend

This conference is ideal for:

• Industry professionals seeking insights into Gen-AI tools
• Academics and educators exploring AI-enhanced teaching
• Researchers studying AI in construction and design
• Policymakers shaping digital innovation strategies
• Technology and EdTech developers creating AI-driven solutions

Call for Proposals

We invite proposals for 15- or 30-minute presentations that align with the conference themes. Submissions from educators, researchers, and practitioners, particularly those with interdisciplinary perspectives, are welcome. Proposals should be no more than 350 words and should outline the focus and content of your presentation. Submissions typically include a clear problem statement, defined objectives, a brief summary of the work carried out, key outcomes or findings, the contribution to the field, and the broader impact or implications.

Click here to submit your proposal.

Conference Themes

Themes are categorised into three concurrent panels; however, the list is not exhaustive, and other relevant topics and proposals are also welcome.

Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Panel Themes

1. Gen-AI for Automation and Efficiency in Education

2. Gen-AI for Personalised Learning

3. Creative and Critical Thinking Through Gen-AI

4. Ethics and Responsible Use of AI in Education

5. Gen-AI Literacy for Staff and Students

6. AI-Based Teaching and Learning Strategies

7. Innovative Assessment Techniques in an AI-Driven Environment

8. Rethinking Quality Assurance in the Age of Gen-AI

Industry Panel Themes

1. AI-Driven Design and Construction Workflows

2. Optimising Operations and Facilities Management with Gen-AI

3. Customising Client and Stakeholder Engagement through Gen-AI

4. Ethical, Legal, and Contractual Implications of Gen-AI in Industry

5. Upskilling the Workforce: Gen-AI Competence in Practice

6. AI-Enhanced Sustainability

7. Gen-AI Integration and Adoption by Policymakers, Local Authorities, and Professional Bodies in the Built Environment

Research Panel Themes

1. Emerging Research on AI Applications in Construction and the Built Environment

2. Interdisciplinary Research Methodologies for Studying Gen-AI Integration

3. Gen-AI, Design Thinking, and Innovation in Research Practice

4. Digital Ethics and Research Integrity in the Age of Gen-AI

5. Evaluating the Impact of Gen-AI on Research Productivity and Collaboration

Key Dates

• Proposal Submission Deadline: 26 September 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: 10 October 2025
• Registration Deadline: 7 November 2025
• Conference Date: 28 November 2025

For queries, please get in touch with the organising team at ehsan.asnaashari@ntu.ac.uk

Co-chairs

• Dr Andrew Knight - ADBE Executive Dean
• Dr Amrit Sagoo -  Head of Construction Management Department
• Dr Ehsan Asnaashari -  Senior Lecture & Course Leader MSc Construction Management

Scientific committee (alphabetically ordered)

1. Dr Varsha Agarwal, ATLAS SkillTech University
2. Dr Amin Akhavan Tabassi, Manchester Metropolitan University
3. Professor Amin Al-habaibeh, Nottingham Trent University
4. Professor Hind Bril El Haouzi, University of Lorraine
5. Professor Richard Bull, Nottingham Trent University
6. Ian Campbell Cole, Nottingham Trent University
7. Dr Bilge Erdogan, Heriot-Watt University
8. Dr Emmanuel Itodo Daniel, University of Wolverhampton
9. Professor Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Auckland University of Technology
10. Professor Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, Auckland University of Technology
11. Dr Rabinder Henry, ATLAS SkillTech University
12. Dr Mojgan Jadidi Mardkheh, York University
13. Professor Mike Kagioglou, De Montfort University
14. Dr Bahareh Kaveh, Nottingham Trent University
15. Dr Hadi Kazemi, Leeds Beckett University
16. Dr Lina Khaddour, Edinburgh Napier University
17. Andrew Knight, Nottingham Trent University
18. Dr Reza Maalek, Karlsruher Institute of Technology
19. Professor Suman Madan, ATLAS SkillTech University
20. Dr Emmanuel Manu, Nottingham Trent University
21. Professor Benachir Medjdoub, Nottingham Trent University
22. Dr Saeed Reza Mohandes, University of Manchester
23. Dr Mostafa Namian, East Carolina University
24. Professor David Oloke, NMITE
25. Dr Shashikant Patil, ATLAS SkillTech University
26. Dr Mani Poshdar, Auckland University of Technology
27. Professor Farzad Rahimian, Teesside University
28. Dr Mehdi Ravanshadnia, Islamic Azad University, Science And Research Branch
29. Professor Saiedeh Razavi, McMaster University
30. Dr Ali Rostami, Liverpool John Moores University
31. Dr Hooman Samani, University of the Arts London
32. Dr Mohammad Saki, University of West London
33. Dr Moslem Sheikhkhoshkar, University of Greenwich
34. Dr Swarna Swetha Kolaventi, ATLAS SkillTech University
35. Dr Saeed Taheri, Nottingham Trent University
36. Dr Saeed Talebi, Birmingham City University
37. Dr Sara Turner, University of Nottingham
38. Professor Patricia Tzortzopoulos, Nottingham Trent University
39. Dr Amrit Sagoo, Nottingham Trent University
40. Dr Mark Shelbourn, Global Banking School
41. Dr Joao Soliman-Junior, University of Salford
42. Professor Song Wu, Nottingham Trent University
43. Dr Piia Sormunen, Tampere University
44. Aled Williams, University College of Estate Management
45. Dr Yangang Xing, Nottingham Trent University

View the full programme.

Key note speakers:

Dr Brian Sheil - Director of Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction, University of Cambridge, UK

Dr Brian Sheil is the Laing O’Rourke Associate Professor of Construction Engineering and Director of the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction at the University of Cambridge. He earned his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Galway, Ireland, before joining the University of Oxford in 2014 as a postdoctoral researcher. He was subsequently appointed as a Departmental Lecturer and awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Research Fellowship in 2018. He took up his current position at Cambridge in 2022. In 2025, he was awarded an Open Fellowship from EPSRC for his work on digital underground construction. He recently co-founded the AI start-up InfraMind, where he serves as Chief Scientist. His research focuses on the development and application of digital technologies, particularly advanced sensing and artificial intelligence, to enhance the productivity, safety, and sustainability of civil infrastructure.

Dr Angelica Paiva Ponzio - Associate Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil

Prof. Angelica Paiva Ponzio is an Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and at the Research and Postgraduate Program in Architecture (PROPAR) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, where she has taught since 1994. She holds a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University’s GSAPP (New York) and a Doctorate degree in History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture from PROPAR/UFRGS, which included a CAPES-funded research period at the Politecnico di Milano. In 2024, she was a Visiting Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, through a CAPES-funded grant to study AI in the design process, during which she conducted workshops at both The Bartlett and Kingston School of Design. She coordinates the BIMCell/UFRGS, a research and extension initiative linked to the Brazilian Association of Construction Technology (ANTAC), is a member of the SIGraDi Scientific Committee, and contributes to the global DigitalFutures community. Prof. Ponzio is also a recognised expert on the Italian architect Gio Ponti, having contributed to major international exhibitions at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris) and MAXXI (Rome). Her current research focuses on developing creative methodologies in architecture and theories of the interior, emphasising reflective practice and analogue–digital integration. It explores the intersections of digital and computational design workflows, including BIM, parametric design and digital fabrication, and generative AI, with particular attention to questions of authorship, agency, and AI literacy in architectural education.

The conference fee is £50 and includes full access to all sessions and networking opportunities. Register for the event.