Artificial intelligence isn’t just knocking on architecture’s door — it’s already inside, rearranging the furniture. From generating design concepts in seconds to automating BIM workflows and tracking RFIs with zero hassle, AI is changing the way architects work. And it’s not simply a passing trend. A recent survey found that 46% of architects are currently using AI tools, with an additional 23% planning to adopt them in the future.

To help you cut through the noise, we’re covering all things related to AI in architecture, including a round-up of 20 AI-powered tools that help architects work smarter, design better, and build more efficiently.

How can AI be used in architecture?

AI tools in architecture are used to enhance and complement traditional architectural processes rather than replace the architect. These AI tools help automate design processes and optimize different workflows like generative design, construction administration (CA), and building information modeling (BIM). For instance, in CA, artificial intelligence can expedite submittal reviews, reducing the administrative load and enabling architects to stay focused on the big picture. 

Which is the best AI tool for architecture?

The best AI tool for architecture depends on the workflow and your needs. Different AI tools excel at different phases of a project. For example, while Part3 is excellent at making construction administration more efficient, architects still need generative design tools like Maket and Finch to quickly produce optimized layouts. Architects often use a combination of AI tools to improve efficiency across the entire project lifecycle.

20 AI tools for architects 

Here's our list of 20 AI-powered tools (including some free ones!) so you can find the right tool for your needs.

1. Part3 

Part3's Submittal Assistant tool is an AI-powered feature designed to help architects and engineers streamline project documentation during the CA phase. The tool automatically reviews construction submittals the moment they are received, providing actionable feedback without requiring manual input. This enables users to swiftly return submittals with detailed comments and suggestions, streamlining the entire workflow.

Key features:

• AI-generated summaries: Creates concise overviews of lengthy documents, enabling faster decision-making.

• Spec comparisons: Automatically detects discrepancies between submittals and specifications, reducing errors.

• AI-powered search: Helps users find key information quickly within submittals and reports.

Part3 also offers an AI submittal log tool that creates complex submittal logs in minutes and tracks and organizes submittals automatically to eliminate manual data entry.

2. TestFit

This AI-powered site planning and feasibility analysis tool helps architects to rapidly generate and evaluate building layouts. Primarily used in schematic design and early-stage planning, TestFit allows you to quickly assess the viability of a project, ensuring that site constraints, market demands, and financial feasibility are considered from the start. 

Key features:

• Site planning: Instantly generates site layouts based on zoning, setbacks, parking requirements, and circulation constraints, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

• Concept iteration: Updates the design in real-time to reflect changes made in key parameters like unit mix, typology, and site density.

• Deal prototyping: Enables quick comparisons between different design schemes, helping architects select the most cost-effective and viable option.

  
  

3. Spacemaker

Spacemaker is a cloud-based AI software designed to help architects assess site potential before committing to design decisions. It provides real-time analysis of environmental factors and density optimization, ensuring projects are viable, sustainable, and compliant from the start. 

Key features:

• Environmental analysis: Provides built-in analysis tools to assess over 100 criteria, including noise, wind, sun, and microclimate, helping users understand the environmental impact of their designs.

• Performance insights: AI provides data-backed recommendations on density, building positioning, and site efficiency, ensuring an optimal balance between livability and performance.

  
  

4. Finch

Finch is an AI-powered generative design tool that helps architects iterate faster, optimize layouts, and make data-driven decisions. Unlike traditional parametric modeling, Finch acts as a "generative copilot," continuously refining design inputs to create optimized floor plans and spatial configurations. 

Key features:

• Generative design: Instantly creates optimized layouts based on spatial constraints, circulation, and density requirements.

• Adaptive layout adjustments: As project parameters change, such as unit sizes, zoning regulations, or design program updates, Finch dynamically modifies the layout to maintain optimal efficiency.

• Instant performance feedback: Uses AI to provide real-time insights on efficiency, sustainability, and compliance, helping architects make informed decisions.

  
  

5. ArkDesign

This AI-powered platform assists architects in creating optimized floor plans and feasibility reports for multi-family and mixed-use projects. ArkDesign aims to optimize profitability, density, and living standards while ensuring compliance with building codes and ordinances.

Key features:

• Floor plan generation: Uses AI to swiftly produce optimized floor plans that maximize saleable area and unit count, enhancing project profitability.

• Design optimization: AI iterates and improves layouts dynamically, adjusting space utilization, unit configurations, and efficiency metrics to enhance livability and profitability.

  
  

6. Maket

Maket is an AI-driven generative design platform that enables architects to rapidly generate residential floor plans. By automating the early-stage design process, Maket allows users to explore multiple spatial layouts effortlessly.

Key features:

• AI-generated floor plans: Creates custom residential floor plans based on user-defined constraints such as room dimensions, adjacency requirements, and site parameters.

• Layout optimization: As project parameters change (e.g., unit sizes, zoning limits, or design requirements), Maket dynamically updates layouts in real-time.

• Style exploration: Generates design variations in different architectural styles, allowing architects to experiment with multiple aesthetic directions effortlessly.

  
  

7. Architechtures

Architechtures is an AI-powered design platform tailored for residential architecture. It helps architects optimize floor plans, ensure compliance, and generate BIM-ready models in real-time. By integrating AI-driven automation with manual design input, the platform allows users to refine projects quickly and accurately while maintaining creative control.

Key features:

• AI design refinement: Fine-tunes space planning, circulation, and layout efficiency, adapting designs dynamically to meet project needs.

• Editing assistance: Architects can manually adjust layouts while AI continuously optimizes circulation, unit distributions, and efficiency metrics in the background.

• AI-assisted compliance: Ensures designs adhere to zoning laws, building codes, and firm-specific regulations, reducing approval risks before the detailed design phase.

8. BricsCAD BIM 

BricsCAD BIM is a flexible BIM and 3D modeling platform that enables architects to transition from 2D CAD to BIM workflows without rigid constraints. This software uses AI to enhance both early-stage design and detailed documentation.

Key features:

• AI-driven model recognition: Identifies and classifies design elements (walls, slabs, doors) from generic geometry, allowing for faster model development.

• Automatic conversion: Converts conceptual 3D models into fully classified BIM models (LOD 200) automatically.

• AI-assisted documentation: Automatically generates schedules, dimensions, and annotations from the BIM model, streamlining documentation tasks.

  
  

9. ArchiCAD

ArchiCAD is a full-scale BIM and 3D modeling platform that helps architects to design, visualize, collaborate, and document projects within a single platform. Unlike traditional BIM tools, ArchiCAD integrates AI-assisted workflows to optimize building models.

Key features:

• AI-driven modeling:  Detects design inconsistencies and optimizes layouts for faster, more accurate design refinement.

• Visualization and model navigation: Uses AI to improve rendering adjustments, refining material selections, and enhancing visual outputs for presentations.

  
  

10. Vectorworks

Vectorworks is a BIM and 3D modeling software that blends design flexibility with artificial intelligence. Its AI-enhanced workflows help optimize design decisions, automate documentation, and improve project coordination, making it particularly useful for projects that require both conceptual freedom and structured BIM execution.

Key features:

• AI-driven visualization: Enhances textures, lighting, and materiality, making design presentations more compelling and accurate.

• Clash detection: Detects potential conflicts between architecture, MEP, and structural elements, reducing errors before construction.

• AI-assisted 3D modeling: Refines freeform modeling by refining complex geometries, optimizing shapes, and ensuring design consistency.

  
  

11. Veras by EvolveLAB

Veras is a visualization application that helps architects quickly create high-quality renderings and design variations. Instead of spending hours tweaking materials and lighting, Veras lets you generate and refine visuals in seconds — all while working within Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Autodesk Forma, Vectorworks, or even just a web browser.

Key features:

• Ideation and render engine: Generates design variations and renders using AI, helping architects quickly explore different aesthetic directions.

• Geometry overrides: Allows users to push a slider to let AI reinterpret a model’s geometry, creating bold transformations or subtle refinements for fresh design possibilities.

• Seed-based rendering: AI remembers your previous render settings so you can tweak a design to create different iterations while keeping them all visually consistent.

  
  

12. Arko AI

Arko AI is an AI-driven rendering and visualization tool designed to help architects generate photorealistic images of their designs in minutes. While conventional rendering software require extensive manual adjustments, Arko AI uses artificial intelligence to optimize materials, lighting, and textures instantly.

Key features:

• Material and texture optimization: Uses AI to intelligently refine surfaces, colors, and patterns, ensuring accurate material representation.

• Fast AI-generated visuals: Reduces rendering time by leveraging AI-powered image synthesis, allowing architects to create multiple design variations in minutes.

  
  

13. Lumion

Lumion is an AI-powered rendering software that helps architects transform 3D models into photorealistic visuals, animations, and immersive walkthroughs. It integrates with Revit, SketchUp, Archicad, Rhino, Vectorworks, BricsCAD, and more, allowing architects to render models in real-time while designing.

Key features:

• Lighting adjustments: Automatically balances ambient lighting, shadows, and reflections to create immersive, lifelike environments.

• AI scene composition: Suggests and auto-populates landscapes, urban settings, and interiors based on design intent.

• Storytelling and animation: Transforms static models into dynamic fly-throughs, 360° panoramas, and cinematic presentations with AI-assisted scene transitions.

  
  

14. ConWize

ConWize is an AI-driven estimation and bidding platform designed to help users manage bids efficiently and reduce financial risks before construction begins. Architects use the platform to verify cost proposals and identify pricing gaps, ensuring more accurate budgeting. 

Key features:

• AI-assisted cost estimation: Uses AI to analyze historical project data and generate accurate cost estimates, minimizing manual effort and inconsistencies.

• Pricing optimization: The system analyzes market trends and contractor bids to recommend the most competitive and realistic pricing.

  
  

15. Kreo

Kreo is a cloud-based tool that streamlines cost estimation by using AI to assist in takeoff, measurement, and cost calculation processes. Kreo uses AI to extract data from construction drawings, making the bidding and cost estimation process more efficient and accurate.

Key features:

• AI-driven takeoff and quantity extraction: AI helps detect and measure objects in drawings, improving the accuracy of material estimates in bid proposals.

• Report generation: Uses predefined templates to convert AI-extracted takeoff data into structured cost estimates, bills of quantities (BOQs), and cost plans, ensuring consistency and reducing manual data entry.

  
  

Free AI tools for architects

For architects looking to experiment with AI without a financial commitment, several free tools offer valuable capabilities:

16. Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly is Adobe’s generative AI tool that allows architects to create stunning visual content, from architectural visualizations to branding and marketing materials.

17. PlanFinder

PlanFinder is a tool that helps architects find building plans and layouts with ease, offering a free version for those who need basic search functionalities for design inspiration or project planning.

18. Midjourney

Midjourney helps generate high-quality, creative visuals, and design concepts from simple text prompts. 

19. RoomGPT

RoomGPT is a web-based AI tool that helps architects and designers create and customize room layouts, using AI to optimize space and design according to specific requirements.

20. PromeAI

PromeAI is an AI tool helps architects to generate realistic and creative images from basic sketches, text prompts, or uploaded photos. You can also use it to turn your hand-drawn sketches or CAD models into ultra-realistic, high-quality renders instantly.

What is the only AI tool architects will need?

The only AI tool architects need depends on the firm's specific needs. It’s unlikely that an architect only needs one AI tool because there’s no single tool that covers all the different needs of an architect. 

AI in architecture is all about using the right tools at the right time. For example, generative design platforms like Finch are great at rapidly exploring and optimizing layouts. But these tools can't manage the administrative and documentation-heavy tasks that construction administration tools do. For that, you need a platform like Part3 to review and return submittals quickly and correctly. These two types of tools complement each other, allowing architects to address both creative design challenges and CA needs without getting bogged down in paperwork.

Get an inside look at Part3's AI-powered Submittal Assistant in this webinar:

Ready to simplify CA with AI?

Managing submittals, RFIs, and shop drawings can be time-consuming, but AI-powered tools like Part3 are designed to streamline the entire construction administration process. With automated tracking, intelligent document management, and seamless communication, Part3 helps architects stay on top of project coordination — without administrative headaches.

Join over 100 leading architecture firms using Part3 to streamline construction administration and deliver projects faster. Book a demo today to see how Part3 can transform your workflow.