Data-Driven Construction & AI Integration: Fieldnotes from the Frontline

When it comes to AI and automation in construction, there’s no shortage of theories and predictions about how teams, workflows, project management, design processes and building practices will be transformed in the years ahead. But in the here and now, uncertainty remains high, discussions can sound abstract, and practical examples of AI delivering gains are thin on the ground.

So it’s no surprise that the Data-Driven Construction & AI Integration panel drew a standing-room-only crowd on day one of the Melbourne Build Expo. Leaders from across architecture, engineering, tech and consulting shared their latest thinking and practical experiences with AI and automation projects. Among them was Arup’s APAC Digital Advisory Lead, Serryn Eagleson, who has spent two decades leading digital infrastructure and data transformation programs for major city-shaping projects in Australia and around the world.

Serryn opened the session by highlighting the ways a more cross-disciplinary approach to sharing data and developing tools could deliver better outcomes across the construction life cycle. She shared snapshots from real-world AI, robotics and automation projects to illustrate the kinds of safety and productivity gains that are already being realised. Here, she elaborates on some of the key issues, themes and case studies covered in the panel discussion and what they tell us about the future of the industry.

 

Surveying the Scene: It All Starts with Data

Serryn is especially well placed to survey the Australian construction industry landscape past, present and future. Something of an all-rounder, she has hands-on building experience, academic research credentials and deep expertise in digital innovation.

“I literally grew up on building sites,” Serryn says. “My dad was a builder, and I’d spend school holidays with the dumpy level in hand. I went on to enrol in land surveying at Melbourne University — only to find the degree had become geomatics, focused on satellites, remote sensing and GIS the year I started. Luckily I loved it and went on to do a PhD designing Mesh Block, which the Australian Bureau of Statistics adopted to as the foundation for the collection and reporting of the Australian Census in 2006. It’s still used today – so I think that’s a win!”

“Today, everyone is talking about, experimenting with and developing pilots with AI, which is great,” she said. “But there are many different technologies that fall under the umbrella of ‘AI’. It helps to break that down and define the different types of AI shaping our industry.”

“There’s natural language processing for analysing text; there’s vision AI for recognising and learning from images; and there’s agentic AI, where systems start to talk to each other and make decisions. The exciting part is when we can get language-based tools mixing with image-based tools. That creates bridges across different areas of research which have traditionally sat locked away in silos.”

“This is just one of many exciting things happening in data now and we can really start to model and see the benefits of bringing it together. I worked in data governance for many years, looking at who owns data, how it can be shared and how we can realise its value. It’s about breaking down silos and managing it for the long term, rather than collecting data once and using it once. We can keep it alive so other projects can build on it.”

“From an Arup perspective, we’re really leaning into these kinds of open standards. We don’t just do this as one company or one piece of software — we want the data to be available for others too. As an industry, we all benefit from better, more representative data to train AI models and avoid bias. The more diverse the data, the better the outcomes.”

 

Cleaning Up with Data: The Pasig River Digital Twin

The Pasig River Digital Twin Project in Manila is one of Serryn’s most striking demonstrations of the way AI, automation, data and global partnerships can deliver measurable insights and impact. A collaboration between Arup, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and RiverRecycle, the project focuses on harnessing digital technologies to track and mitigate plastic waste in one of the world’s most polluted waterways. The severe pollution of the Pasig River is recognised as a critical challenge for the city’s residents, and is estimated to contribute up to six per cent of global plastic waste flowing into oceans.

“The Pasig River digital twin integrates satellite and survey data with weather models and government datasets to track how plastic moves through the river system,” Serryn explains. “Ultimately, what we want to do is look at water flows, so for example when we know the source and type of plastic, and how the river flows, we can get predictive” she said. “Then you can look at where to place trash traps and optimise them. Ideally, we see better policies developed and implemented so the plastic never enters the river to begin with.”

“Throughout the project, we’ve been collaborating with governments, planners and community leaders to translate complex data into actionable insights to remove plastic from the river and contribute to meeting local and global sustainability goals on the ground.”

"Developed on an open-source framework, this tool can be replicated and adapted to other river systems, allowing us to apply lessons learned here to communities across the Philippines and beyond.”

 

The Data Centre Dilemma: Powering AI Sustainably

While AI and automation are seen as holding the key to sustainability, the industry also needs to confront the unprecedented energy demands and environmental impact of the infrastructure underpinning it.

“Data centres are some of the most critical, valuable and fast-growing infrastructure that countries, economies and societies increasingly depend on,” Serryn says. “Demand for new facilities is expanding rapidly, and best practice is evolving just as quickly across design, build, operation and renewal. The challenges are many: sourcing renewable energy, using water and other resources responsibly, staying flexible for fast-changing technical demands, and navigating complex planning requirements.”

“Arup’s Data Centre Futures is exploring how we can meet those challenges of balancing efficiency with renewable energy, sustainable land use and better heat and water management. It’s an area we’ll all be hearing a lot more about as the demand for and our reliance on data continue to grow.”

 

Looking Ahead: The Bigger Picture

The big questions around sustainability closed out the Data-Driven Construction & AI Integration session, with each panellist asked how data and AI could help the industry deliver more sustainable outcomes. Serryn was the first to respond.

“There are so many possibilities,” she said. “One of the biggest is automating repetitive tasks — especially those tied to safety, maintenance and productivity. It’s about using our assets for longer and operating them more efficiently, especially as the impacts of climate change become clearer. We’re seeing a lot of clients who are nervous about what climate change means for their assets, so we need to be smarter about how we use technology to help them.”

Serryn also pointed to the growing potential of the Internet of Things to monitor infrastructure in real time. “It’s about being able to gather information rapidly from your assets, to know which ones are ‘feeling unwell’ and need attention. That’s how we make systems more resilient and sustainable over the long term.”

“There’s a real sense of enthusiasm about collaborating with these tools. Arup’s Embracing AI: Reshaping Today’s Cities and Built Environment survey shows Australia’s built‑environment professionals are already putting AI to work, with over 30% using it daily and 85% weekly. Our respondents were optimistic about the benefits too, with over 70% seeing AI as an opportunity. Crucially, their use is much more advanced than chatbots, with city planners, architects, engineers, and digital leaders using tools like large‑scale simulation, machine‑learning analytics and science‑based tools applied on live projects."

“We do have workforce challenges that need to be addressed through upskilling, training and getting more people involved in research, but I’m really passionate about linking with universities and fostering greater industry-wide collaboration. That way we can bring the best minds together to solve the many complex challenges we face now, and into the future.”

For more details about Arup’s projects and research visit arup.com or connect with Serryn on LinkedIn.