The tools, designed by PhD student Fatemeh Najafi Sanagoo, speed up the process of checking thousands of structural connections in digital building models before components are manufactured.
This has allowed for a 96% time saving by helping engineers identify potential problems earlier, reducing the risk of costly errors later on.
The custom automation programs were developed in collaboration with Midlands-based HadleyFRAME through a Business & Innovation Support Sprint project funded by the West Midlands Advanced Construction Cluster and the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The first tool streamlines the copying process by allowing engineers to define their own parameters each time, removing the need to manually re-configure the tool for every new scenario.
This cut the time it takes for a batch of five copies from 15 minutes to 12, a 20% saving that can have a huge impact on large-scale projects.
The second tool automatically scans an entire digital building model to flag missing or unexpected structural connections before components reach the factory floor.
“Both savings matter not just for efficiency but for safety,” said Dr Ilnaz Ashayeri, Senior Lecturer in Construction Management at BCU and Principal Investigator of the project.
“Working closely with HadleyFRAME and supported by our research team, we focused on developing practical solutions that could be tested against real engineering challenges and deliver immediate value to industry.
“Missing structural connections have historically gone undetected until the fabrication stage, where identifying and fixing errors is far more costly and disruptive.”
The technology was tested on a five-storey modular residential building in Derbyshire containing more than 18,000 structural connections, demonstrating its ability to work at the scale required for real construction projects.
“Automation isn't optional anymore in construction, it's a necessity," Dr Ilnaz Ashayeri added. “But big promises don't move industries forward, real deliverables do.
“Small, focused projects like this one are exactly what it takes to show people what's actually possible and get them genuinely interested in doing more.”
These tools were built, tested and validated against real-world projects delivered by HadleyFRAME, providing credible evidence of how targeted automation can improve productivity, quality assurance and safety within modern methods of construction.