Digital technology is a powerful tool for managing complex systems. But machines alone will not do it.

We have seen how robotics, machine learning and AI can help with certain tasks in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain that humans cannot or do not want to do - in particular in the areas of construction robotics, additive manufacturing, and material technology, developments in the past two decades have shown the potential of more efficient, resource-saving, and highly rationalized workflows in the AEC domain.

Although often critical to the success of such processes - humans are often required to intervene, reprogramme, trigger actions, or make necessary adjustments to unforeseen events - research in this area has predominantly aimed at creating fully autonomous processes reducing human interventions, that is, replacing humans with machines, instead of creating synergistic processes between them.

But these technologies will only thrive and have the great societal and environmental impact they promise when paired with human insight and intuition.

This symposium aims to provide a platform to discuss concepts on how to build strong human-machine teams so we can combine the best of their complementary abilities and strengths: the speed and accuracy of machines and their ability to crunching large amounts of data, combined with our unique abilities as humans to solve problems creatively, flexibly, and collaboratively.