From May 16 to 17, the Digital Building Summit 2025 was grandly held in Beijing. With the theme of “AI + Refined Management: Building a New Model for the Construction Industry,” the summit brought together renowned think tank experts, academicians and scholars, leaders from regulatory authorities, entrepreneurs, corporate representatives, and media journalists to explore cutting-edge pathways for the industry’s digital transformation and intelligent upgrade, injecting new momentum into its development.

The summit featured in-depth discussions around key topics such as quality housing, resilient cities, and digital transformation, with a focus on boosting industry confidence and supporting the growth of private construction enterprises. Participants exchanged insights on the practical applications of AI across the entire construction value chain, including design, construction, cost management, consulting, renewable energy, and talent development. These discussions aimed to promote refined management, foster new quality productive forces, and nurture emerging industries, development models, and business formats.

In his keynote speech, Yuan Zhengang, President of Glodon Company Limited, analyzed the multiple challenges faced by the traditional construction industry and proposed that only through a combination of quality housing and advanced technology can a new development model be forged.

He introduced the concept of Industrial AI, emphasizing that using industrial AI to create quality housing represents a new development paradigm for the sector. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Glodon has formulated a closed-loop model for implementing industrial AI, consisting of “data–algorithm–computing power–scenarios.”

This includes generating high-quality data through BIM and IoT integration, building high-value scenarios centered around integrated design, refined cost management, and refined construction management, and developing stable models through the integration of industry large models and engineering software small models. The combination of these three elements enables the comprehensive implementation of industrial AI across job roles, projects, enterprises, and the entire industry, forming a systematic application loop.

As a practitioner of construction industrial AI, Glodon has developed an application software system that supports every phase and business aspect of the building lifecycle, covering the entire process, elements, and stakeholders of a project. Glodon deeply integrates industry large models with engineering software, developing a suite of AI applications such as NOVADesign, AI Conceptual Design Software Concetto, AI-based Quantity Takeoff, AI Intelligent Pricing, Unmanned Tower Cranes, AI Labor Management, and AI Material Management. These tools help enterprises rapidly adopt AI-based solutions and have been widely applied in residential, industrial, and infrastructure construction, receiving high acclaim.

The summit also featured a series of thematic events, including expert panels on "AI + Refined Management," achievement showcases, immersive interactive experiences, benchmark project tours, and open lectures, all aimed at presenting cutting-edge industry innovations and accelerating the digital transformation of the global construction industry.

Notably, the “China Enterprises Going Global Forum” focused on data-driven refined cost management, exploring resilient outbound strategies, the digitization of global construction standards, and ecosystem-based international expansion models, empowering Chinese construction enterprises to tap into overseas markets.

Lei Peng, Vice President of Glodon, stated that the company has been cultivating its international presence for 17 years. Today, Glodon has established more than 80 subsidiaries worldwide, with a sales and service network covering over 100 countries and regions. The company continues to expand its globalized business offerings, building a sustainable ecosystem and localized service system. It has developed a comprehensive set of professional capabilities across design, performance analysis, cost estimation, and construction to provide digital solutions to clients, including developers, design institutes, consulting firms, and construction companies.

In addition, the “Belt and Road Architecture Talent Forum and Digital Construction Industry-Education Integration Community Annual Conference” attracted nearly 300 representatives from government departments, industry associations, universities, and enterprises from both China and abroad. The event featured discussions on AI-driven talent cultivation for intelligent construction. Glodon signed cooperation agreements with institutions from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, promoting robust growth in vocational education for construction and fostering practical collaboration in curriculum development and faculty exchange between Chinese and international institutions.

During the summit, government and business delegations from Malaysia, Singapore, and China’s Hong Kong visited Glodon’s flagship projects in Beijing to witness firsthand how AI and refined management are being implemented in real-world engineering contexts.

At the Beijing Urban Construction Group’s Meihuazhuang project site, the delegation expressed great interest in the use of prefabricated construction and digital site management. Located in the core development area of Beijing’s Fangshan District, the project has a total floor area of over 110,000 square meters and employs a frame and prefabricated shear wall structural system with a 35% prefabrication rate. By using Glodon’s Labor Management S ystem , Material Management S ystem , Smart Tower Crane Monitoring System, Intelligent Formwork Processing Plant, and PMSmart Digital Construction Site Management System, the project achieves digital management of personnel, machinery, materials, methods, and environment, serving as a benchmark for livable communities in the Fangshan area.

At the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD), the delegation toured the company’s exhibition hall and participated in a digital transformation exchange meeting. They learned about BIAD’s digital technology strategy and implementation progress, as well as how Glodon’s Digital Design Software is being used in BIAD’s forward design processes. As a well-established state-owned enterprise, BIAD has made digital technology a core strategic focus and built a comprehensive digital system covering design, construction, and operations. Through its independently developed integrated 2D-3D BIM review system, BIAD completed the first BIM-based review project in Beijing and has contributed to multiple local standards. On projects such as Fuzhou Changle Airport, it has applied Glodon’s NOVAD esign platform to achieve full-discipline collaborative design and intelligent review based on over 80 regulations, improving design efficiency by 30% and reducing modeling errors through model reuse, thereby accelerating its transformation into a digital design institute and supporting the development of a digital ecosystem in the construction industry.

The Digital Building Summit 2025 not only served as a platform for industry exchange but also, through technology showcases, case studies, and international cooperation, painted a vivid picture of a future for the construction industry powered by AI. As industrial AI continues to penetrate deeply, the construction sector is set to enter a new era of intelligent building, with new productive forces leading the way to global sustainable development.