Breaking Ground Part 3: How AI and Data Can Change What’s Possible for Housing Delivery

By

Shauna Hurley

Last Updated Jul 15, 2026

By

Shauna Hurley

In the final part of this Procore State of Housing series, Group Executive, Head of McNab Property, Andrew Hay, joins Procore Industry Transformation Lead Andy Rampton to look at how data, AI and robotics are supporting faster, more confident decisions across housing and infrastructure delivery.

Part one and part two highlighted how much housing supply depends on what happens well before construction begins: sites ready for delivery, infrastructure that is sequenced, and civil and residential teams coordinating early enough to reduce cost and risk.

Here, we look at how AI, data and robotics are changing preconstruction, helping project teams make earlier decisions about everything from where a project starts to when it settles.

During Procore’s Breaking Ground: The True Cost of Land, Infrastructure & Housing Supply webinar, Andy Rampton put this question to Andrew Hay, Head of Development at McNab.

“What does the future hold for technology on the design and construction side?” he asked. “We heard a few years ago that digital twins and BIM were the answer to all our prayers, but it hasn’t really taken off the way we anticipated. Is AI the answer now or some time in the future?”

Productivity gains can start with everyday processes

Andrew was clear that McNab is already approaching technology as a current productivity tool, not a distant future capability.

“We’re looking at AI and robotics in terms of increasing productivity, not in the future, but right now,” he says. “We're very tech-focused and very active at looking at how AI can assist us. So we’re very focused on looking at our data and how to measure it and use it, and also on the ways we can use robotics now as well.”

For developers, Andrew highlights the growing value of using AI and data to turn information into more informed decisions about cost, time, risk and revenue. He suggested the gains don't necessarily come from major breakthroughs, but from better insight into everyday processes that affect visibility and productivity on and off site.

We've got an extremely active process in terms of measuring our data. They don't have to be big wins. We might look at how people are inducted onto site, how people are spending their time on site, how our hoists are operating. It's a percent here, it's half a percent there, and it's an amalgamation of all these little benefits that tech can bring.

Andrew Hay

Group Executive, Head of McNab Property

McNab Property

Using data to inform site selection and feasibility

Andrew says McNab is also using technology to support decisions much earlier, particularly around site selection and feasibility.

"We're starting to look at examples of how it can help with our site selection, feeding straight into the commercial assessment of our projects or feasibility," he says.

Here, data becomes more than a reporting tool. It can influence whether a project should proceed, how confidently a team can assess risk before capital is committed, and whether there are opportunities to improve the return profile.

"Obviously, looking at bringing costs down, that's a given," Andrew says. "But equally, how does it drive revenue? We don't want to look at it solely around driving costs, but what are ways to drive revenue as well?"

For built-form residential projects, where construction costs can represent about 65 per cent of total development costs, Andrew says accuracy is essential.

"We just have to be so accurate in everything that we're doing, and that data plays into that considerably," he says.

The same applies in land development, where land and civil costs can weigh heavily in feasibility. Delays linked to infrastructure or approvals can quickly reduce returns relative to the risk being undertaken.

Earlier insight can shift project forecasts and timelines

Andrew also sees data and robotics feeding into McNab's ability to start earlier on site.

Moving earlier carries direct commercial weight. Delays affect holding costs, funding, sales and settlements, so any tool that helps teams see constraints sooner can improve delivery confidence.

"It helps us with a laser focus on all the metrics that are really important, such as the proportion of gross building area to net saleable area," Andrew says. "We're constantly looking at all these ratios to make sure that we are as efficient as we can be."

That focus continues beyond design and construction into the approvals and settlement processes that determine when revenue can be realised.

"We’re also looking at how it can help in the plan sealing process, in the titling process, and what works can be bonded," Andrew says. "AI can help with all those things, and help to get settlements in the door quickly and retire debt, which is the name of the game."

Now and next: The practical promise of AI on the ground

For Andrew and the team at McNab, new opportunities from AI are practical and evolving rather than immediately transformative. Gains are already being made through better data and insights into site selection, feasibility, costs and risks.

Closing out the discussion, Andy added that it is not the volume of data that is critical, but whether it improves the decisions project teams make.

“From a decision-making point of view, having access to the right data at the right time, and giving it to the right people who can make better decisions, is absolutely key,” Andy says. “That really brings our discussion full circle.”

"We've seen that many of the bottlenecks to housing delivery emerge long before construction begins, in the decisions, discussions and disconnects that shape land, infrastructure, civil works, approvals, cost and risk. AI is becoming part of how those decisions can be made earlier and with more confidence, while giving project teams a clearer shared view of what needs to happen next."

Andrew agrees.

“I think the advantages coming out of it are really endless,” he adds. “And it’s really only the beginning.”

Written by

Shauna Hurley

20 articles

Shauna is never short of questions when it comes to construction, tech and science. A professional writer, researcher and podcast producer, she loves sitting down with industry insiders for in-depth interviews that uncover the latest developments, debates and emerging trends. Having worked with organisations like Microsoft and the European Bank of Reconstruction, Shauna joined Procore to explore the complex issues facing construction and share fresh, research-rich insights that help professionals navigate a rapidly evolving industry.

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