Haseko and Tektome launch practical AI training, accelerating digital construction transformation across architectural design workflows globally.
Haseko Corporation, one of Japan’s largest residential construction and development companies, has partnered with Tokyo-based AI startup Tektome to deliver a hands-on AI training programme for in-house architects and design teams. The initiative aims to support a self-driven digital transformation strategy by enabling professionals to embed artificial intelligence directly into daily architectural and BIM design processes.
Rather than imposing top-down digital mandates, the programme empowers design teams to take ownership of new technologies, allowing practitioners to decide how AI tools can best support project delivery, quality assurance, and design development. This approach positions AI as a collaborative tool rather than an external system, helping organisations embed digital workflows sustainably across operations.
Central to this effort is Haseko’s proprietary architectural information infrastructure, MetiS, which organises and surfaces project knowledge accumulated across hundreds of thousands of condominium developments. Through AI integration, architects can now access, analyse, and reuse data to automate routine tasks and strengthen decision-making in design workflows.
Building an AI-literate workforce
Training sessions focus on Tektome’s AI-powered platform, which allows users to interact with architectural data using natural language queries instead of coding. Architects and engineers learn how to interrogate project databases, perform automated design checks, and test AI-generated 3D model outputs within existing BIM environments.
MetiS functions as both a knowledge repository and a live system for design collaboration. By training professionals to build and operate the platform themselves, Haseko ensures institutional knowledge remains accessible while reinforcing AI adoption as a practical tool within everyday workflows.
Participants use workshop-based exercises tied to live projects, testing applications such as AI-searchable drawing archives, automated extraction of review comments from PDFs, and analysis of site photographs to inform design revisions. This cycle of experimentation helps teams translate digital capability into practical design outcomes.
The initiative reflects Haseko’s ambition to create conditions where routine design checks and data management tasks are automated, enabling architects to devote greater attention to higher-value design challenges.
From manual checking to automated BIM model validation
The training programme builds on collaborative pilots launched during 2024, where AI tools were tested across multiple design functions.
One key development involves automated BIM model and 2D drawing validation. AI systems now compare design documentation against expert checklists, identifying inconsistencies between floor layouts, structural elements, and equipment placement. This reduces oversight risks while accelerating compliance and coordination reviews.
A second pilot explores AI-generated BIM model creation. While still under evaluation, the system can produce preliminary design models based on parameters extracted from past projects. Such capability points toward future workflows where early-stage drafting becomes increasingly automated.
These developments support a BIM-integrated search system across Haseko’s portfolio, enabling teams to find and analyse historical project data efficiently. Steps involving automated checks and AI-assisted design generation are now progressing alongside workforce training, ensuring technology adoption aligns with professional capability.
Why self-driven digital transformation matters
Digital transformation in Japan’s construction sector often encounters resistance when technology changes disrupt established professional roles. Haseko and Tektome address this challenge by placing AI tools directly in architects’ hands, allowing practitioners to guide adoption based on practical needs.
By encouraging experimentation, teams develop new applications for AI, creating a feedback loop where technological capability and professional expertise evolve together. This model positions architects not simply as software users but as drivers of innovation within their organisations.
Expanding role in AI
For Tektome, the partnership represents a practical demonstration of its ambition to act as an “AI copilot” for architecture and construction professionals. Its platform specialises in architecture-specific workflows, supporting natural language interaction with BIM data, drawings, and project documentation.
Unlike generic AI solutions, Tektome’s systems are tailored to Japanese construction codes, standards, and industry file formats, ensuring outputs remain technically and contextually relevant. This localisation supports reliable automation while preserving regulatory and design accuracy.
A replicable model for global digital construction innovation
Although tailored to Japan, the programme’s implications extend globally. Construction firms worldwide face challenges capturing institutional design knowledge, training staff in emerging technologies, and reducing costly project errors.
The Haseko–Tektome collaboration offers a replicable model: combine purpose-built AI tools with workforce training so organisations can internalise digital transformation rather than outsource it. By integrating automated design checks, BIM knowledge retrieval, and AI-assisted workflows within professional practice, companies can scale innovation while maintaining control over project delivery processes.
Haseko and Tektome demonstrate scalable digital construction transformation, proving AI-enabled BIM workflows, automated checks, and architect-led innovation deliver measurable productivity, knowledge reuse, and sustainable competitive advantage worldwide.
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