'AI will reshape construction management': HanmiGlobal hosts Global PM Summit 2026

Amid growing attention to AI and digital twin technology as solutions to the construction industry's persistent challenges — an aging workforce and soaring project costs — HanmiGlobal, South Korea's leading construction project management firm, is moving to secure new engines of growth.

To mark its 30th anniversary, HanmiGlobal held the Global PM Summit 2026 on June 19 at the Posco Center Art Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Held under the theme "Rewriting the Future of Global PM in the Age of AI," the event drew leading construction AI scholars from Germany, Israel and beyond, who gathered to share the latest commercially available technologies and concrete data.

David Whysall, chief operating officer of global project management and cost consultancy Turner & Townsend, delivered the keynote address, forecasting that AI could eventually automate up to half of all project management tasks. However, Whysall said "the fundamental value of AI lies not in replacing humans, but in enhancing the capabilities of professionals and supporting data-driven decision-making."

Subsequent presentations highlighted concrete advances in construction AI research. Andre Borrmann, head of the Construction AI Center at the Technical University of Munich, demonstrated a multi-agent AI system capable of generating building information modeling, or BIM, from text input alone. Borrmann said the system achieved a success rate of up to 95 percent in tests involving wall construction and opening creation, and that AI-powered analysis had improved on-site structural identification accuracy by 50 percent over conventional methods.

Rafael Sacks, director of the National Building Research Institute at Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, said AI would serve as a force that fundamentally disrupts existing business models in construction. Given the industry's emphasis on safety and contractual accountability, Sacks proposed that a human-supervised, AI-executed automation model was the most realistic path forward. He also presented findings from empirical experiments showing measurable cost savings even at the stage where AI analyzes data and recommends priorities.

Following the presentations, a panel discussion brought together domestic and international experts to examine pressing industry challenges, including shifts in professional roles driven by AI adoption, the conversion of internal data into corporate assets, measuring the impact of AI implementation, and questions of legal liability.

HanmiGlobal said it plans to accelerate technological innovation on the back of the summit. On June 19, the company signed MOUs with the Technical University of Munich's Construction AI Center and Technion's National Building Research Institute, agreeing to collaborate on identifying joint research initiatives and developing strategies to address global market opportunities.