Practice / Strategy & Leadership
Strategy & Leadership
Start with people and their problems, then assess tools against quality, time, cost and ease of use.
people first, tools secondProblem first
Working across design, BIM, technology, AI, marketing and practice operations has shaped a practical approach: start with people and their problems. Understand where time is lost, what limits design exploration, what hinders technical delivery and what needs improving, then assess tools against quality, time, cost and ease of use.
Practice needs
At KSR, visual workflows addressed an immediate need. Communicating design ideas quickly during frequent client discussions is a must, and a finished render was not always right for the design stage, the time available or the assigned fee. Alongside visualisation, documents and knowledge became the initial priorities, with marketing and commercial applications developed further during 2026.
Setting direction
When AI adoption began at KSR, the first step was to understand where it could provide genuine value across the practice. Discussions with partners and teams helped identify immediate priorities, while testing established which tools were worth adopting and where bespoke workflows were required. The approach has continued to evolve through project use, feedback and new capabilities.
AI opportunity map / 2025
Where AI could help, and what it would take
A retrospective summary of discussions, documents, heat maps and opportunity maps with KSR management about potential applications and priorities. Positions represent relative judgements about practice benefit and implementation effort, not measured scores. Heat maps set specific task priorities; visualisation, documents and knowledge informed the initial focus.
Design & visualisation
- OP-01
- Early-stage visuals Communicate emerging design ideas during client meetings.
- OP-02
- Visual exploration Explore architectural character, atmosphere and stylistic directions.
- OP-03
- Clay to render Translate simple model views into materialised images.
- OP-04
- Image editing Make targeted changes to materials, planting, furniture and context.
- OP-05
- Visual variations Explore conceptual ideas for design development.
Research & technical delivery
- OP-06
- Design research Gather and summarise precedents, materials and project research.
- OP-07
- Product information Collect and organise manufacturers’ technical information.
- OP-08
- Drawing & model checks Assist with checking consistency, completeness and practice standards.
Documents & knowledge
- OP-09
- Document support Draft, summarise and refine recurring practice documents.
- OP-10
- Project knowledge Find relevant information across project documents.
- OP-11
- Practice knowledge Retrieve internal standards, procedures and lessons learned.
- OP-12
- Meeting actions Turn meeting notes into summaries, responsibilities and follow-up actions.
Marketing & business development
- OP-13
- Marketing content Prepare project narratives, case studies and social content.
- OP-14
- Bid & proposal support Assemble relevant experience and draft submissions.
Test & select
OmniChat offered the functionality and ease of use KSR needed without the maintenance demands of building an equivalent system. Adopting an established platform left more time to develop useful workflows around it. For visualisation, testing led to a combination of platforms, with Krea and Weave forming the current core.
Develop & apply
Workflows are tested with the colleagues who will use them, then refined around project requirements and feedback. Practical guides, CPDs and individual support introduce them more widely. Development runs alongside BIM responsibilities, so repeatability, ease of use and ongoing support matter significantly.
Review & expand
Discussions with partners and the AI, finance and marketing groups review progress and changing needs. New work grows from observed needs and technological advances such as new model releases, and existing approaches are refined or replaced as requirements change.
Building confidence
Different people need different starting points
AI adoption at KSR has grown through practical demonstrations, collaboration and support on live projects. OmniChat’s analytics provide a benchmark for engagement, alongside feedback from colleagues about what works and where support is needed. Guidance is shaped around roles, experience and project needs.
Partners
Demonstrations connect new possibilities with familiar practice needs. Regular discussions with the partners cover options, costs and ongoing commitment, helping agree where development time should go. Involvement in the AI, marketing and finance groups brings different business needs into those conversations.
Specialists
With the visualisation team, agentic tools and workflows are tested against real design problems and the practice’s high quality expectations. Their feedback identifies useful applications, required changes and limitations, and refines the process around architectural and interior intent.
Project teams
CPD workshops introduce the possibilities while individual support helps colleagues apply them to day-to-day tasks. Guidance adapts to experience and confidence. Recurring questions feed back into development, showing where workflows need simplifying or better explanation.
From introduction to adoption
A repeatable process for moving useful AI ideas from initial demonstration into everyday practice.
- 01INTRODUCE
Demonstrate against a familiar need
- 02TEST
Try it on real project work
- 03APPLY
Support colleagues using it
- 04ADAPT
Adjust to feedback and roles
- 05REFINE
Simplify, document, repeat
From direction to delivery
Practice, team, project
Three examples of how this approach turned into deliverables across the practice, specialist teams and individual projects.
Practice
In developmentMarketing & practice data
Leading the KSR website refresh and the launch of a new Pinterest channel, using structured project information to improve descriptions, consistency and content reuse. This connects to the project dataset developed for wider practice needs, helping identify gaps in the available information and workflows.
Team
IntroduceIn useVisualisation
Following Autodesk University 2024, I introduced D5 to the team, bringing an external discovery into the practice’s toolset. One example of turning industry engagement into something colleagues can explore and apply.
Project
In usepyRevitAgentic coding
Developed a pyRevit tool using agentic workflows in response to a project’s conveyancing and marketing plans requirement, which sits outside the Revit ecosystem. The tool handles a specific production task within the team’s existing Revit workflow and connects it to their presentation work in InDesign.
Industry engagement
Selected events and communities
Industry events, specialist communities and ongoing learning provide ideas to discuss and test across the practice. Teaching and sharing work also creates opportunities to exchange experience beyond KSR.
In person
- BIM&AEC London Meetup
- ATN Summit 2026
- London Revit User Group meetups
- AI in Practice Summit 2026
- ATN KPF Finch Workshop
- ATN D5 Workshop
- xFigura with BIG & Zaha
Online
- Claude for Busy Architects
- Formas: Sketch to Site
- Autodesk University 2026
- Chaos Talks: The Role of ArchViz
Workshops
- Gendo · VizMaker · PAAcademy
Presented, won, published
- AI talk at London Metropolitan University, with KSR Partner Guy Ailion
- Winner, ATN Gendo competition
- Featured on Figma’s blog
- Published The Prompted Interior guide
- Signed up to Keir Regan-Alexander’s Answerable Accredited Professional initiative
Roles at KSR
- Lead, KSR BIM Group
- Lead, KSR AI Group
- KSR Marketing Group
- KSR Associates Group
- Regular meetings with KSR’s partners