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AI and the Built Environment: Is AI the future of practice?
28 May 2026 @ 6:00 pm
Over recent years, AI has developed rapidly in its sophistication and its usage continues to grow. Has the architectural profession, and the wider construction industry, kept up with the advancements?
The RIBA published an Artificial Intelligence Report in 2025, in which they reported 59% of practices using AI for at least the occasional project, up from 41% in 2024.
The report suggested AI is being used in early-stage visualisations, specification writing, compliance checking, and product selection and analysis, as well as day-to-day tasks of practice management, including report writing, bid creation, client management, and project scheduling.
In March of this year, it was even reported that Google has been awarded a £6.9 million contract by the UK government to develop an AI tool to speed up planning decisions for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Join the MSA for a cross-discipline discussion tackling AI in architecture, landscape and urban design. A panel of speakers will be sharing their experiences to date and discuss how is AI being deployed, whether there any drawbacks we should be considering and what the future of AI might hold for our day-to-day workflows across the built environment.
Venue: Anthony Burgess Foundation
Date and Time: 28th May 2026 6pm for 6:30pm start
Ticket Price: General £8+VAT | Students £5+VAT
We are pleased to announce the speakers joining us for AI and the Built Environment: Is AI the Future of Practice?
Speakers Include:
Liam Cox | MCAU
Liam is an Urban Designer at MCAU, a multidisciplinary design practice focused on creating sustainable, viable places that inspire and elevate communities.
He works at a strategic level during the early stages of the design process, developing place visions, urban strategies, and robust masterplan frameworks. With six years’ experience across architecture and masterplanning projects in England and Scotland, Liam brings a creative yet commercially grounded approach, ensuring early stage design principles are carried through to delivery.
He has a particular interest in the application of AI within the master planning process, exploring how it can enhance workflows through advanced visualisation, improved data handling, and more effective testing of feasibility and viability.
James Alexander | Exterior Architecture
James is a Chartered Landscape Architect and AI Lead based in Manchester, currently exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way design practices work. With fifteen years of experience across landscape and urban design, he has spent the past two years leading AI integration at Exterior Architecture: building custom tools, developing governance frameworks, and navigating the cultural and philosophical challenges that come with introducing new technology into a busy studio. He’ll be sharing the view from the ground: what it actually feels like to use AI as a design collaborator, why so many practitioners are quietly uncomfortable about it, and why he thinks the most interesting questions about AI have nothing to do with the tools themselves.
Michael O’Reilly | Zaha Hadid Architects & Manchester School of Architecture
Michael O’Reilly is an Architect, Computational Designer, and Educator with a special interest in applied research and theory in Architecture. Michael is a Senior Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects where he has worked on landmark projects in 7+ countries including the recent Bishoftu International Airport, as well as participating in several industry R&D tech projects. Michael is also a tutor at the Manchester School of Architecture in Atelier CPU which specialises in the development and application of computational techniques and AI processes in Architecture. Bridging these dual roles, Michael has seen how both practice and academia approach the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies such as AI.