Seeing Inside Walls: Using AI to Extend Scan-to-BIM for Material Circularity

Buildings contribute to more than 40% of global carbon emissions, and one key scalable solution is to reuse and upgrade existing buildings and materials instead of constructing new ones. This session showcases how Autodesk Research is exploring artificial intelligence (AI) for net-zero buildings in the context of existing building projects. The team is exploring two AI-driven prototypes: one is about assessing a building’s existing conditions with limited and multimodal data. This enables AECO professionals to "see inside walls"—similarly to an “x-ray view”—and cataloging hidden materials including their potential for reusability without destructive testing. The second AI-driven prototype involves creating new low-carbon assemblies using repurposed materials. With this workflow users can specify high-level goals like “reuse materials”, “reduce carbon” and “minimize cost” and interactively explore many different options. The presentation highlights potential integration opportunities with relevant Autodesk platform features, demonstrating how designers, contractors, and building owners can make informed decisions that significantly minimize carbon footprint while creating new economic value from existing assets.