The aim of the “Smart Design and Construction” (SDaC) research project is to develop a platform for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the construction industry. The AI applications will help make construction projects more efficient and faster, and better meet the needs of the users of the structures being built. The large, weakly structured, heterogeneous, and distributed data stored by individual companies will be processed and made usable by artificial intelligence methods. Interoperability as an enabler is thus being specifically promoted for the first time in the construction industry. The provision of structured data on the platform simplifies and supports the collaboration of medium-sized companies. SDaC enables data exchange with data sovereignty and security as well as real-time data transfer and analysis through an intelligent architecture. The resulting networking of companies of different sizes, even across corporate boundaries, thus creates an ecosystem that enables the rapid transfer of research results into applications.

A central aspect of SDaC is the processing of heterogeneous data. Here, the prevailing fragmentation and very heterogeneous IT landscape must be countered with sensible solutions, which is realized by networking and structuring companies and data.