In Russia, AI Is Taking on the Role of Architect—Designing More Comfortable Housing
In one Russian region, artificial intelligence is already being used to design tens of thousands of square meters of housing, reshaping how residential construction is planned and approved.
In Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, more than 25,000 square meters of housing were designed using artificial intelligence and information modeling technologies in 2025. Regional government officials say digital tools are improving the quality of design documentation and optimizing construction workflows at every stage of a project’s lifecycle.
The AI-designed housing will be built in the village of Olgino on the outskirts of Nizhny Novgorod. Construction permits have already been issued for three residential buildings. In total, regional authorities plan to design more than 325,000 square meters of housing using digital technologies.
The Specialized Developer of the Nizhny Novgorod Region—Directorate for Construction—has introduced its own information modeling standard. A centralized data repository now covers the entire process, from early design concepts to project delivery. As a result, approval timelines are shortened, design errors are identified earlier, and overall construction costs are reduced.
Digital Design as State Policy
The use of information modeling technologies aligns with Russia’s national project Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State, which focuses on deploying digital services across key sectors of the economy. Nationwide, BIM (Building Information Modeling)—the foundation of these technologies—has already been incorporated into standards for the design and construction of government-funded facilities.
Russia’s Ministry of Construction is actively working to expand BIM adoption across all stages of a building’s lifecycle. According to Ivan Kargin, deputy chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod regional government, information modeling helps lower costs while improving the quality of completed projects.
Today, these technologies are no longer limited to residential housing. They are also being applied to the construction of social infrastructure and commercial real estate—signaling a broader shift toward AI-assisted design as a default tool rather than an experiment.
