University of Florida opens new robotics lab dedicated to industrialized construction

The University of Florida (UF) has opened a robotics lab dedicated to industrialized construction, funded by a $1 million donation from Autodesk. The lab will aim to address Florida’s housing shortage and an impending surge in retirements among the construction workforce.

The donation follows Autodesk’s $1.5 million investment in 2024, which helped launch UF’s Industrialized Construction Engineering (ICon) degree program, which will welcome its first student cohort this fall. UF offers the nation’s first Bachelor of Science in Industrialized Construction Engineering. The core focus of the degree is applying advanced manufacturing principles to building construction, shifting from traditional jobsite methods to precision, technology-driven, and sustainable processes.

The core focus of the degree is applying advanced manufacturing principles to building construction, shifting from traditional jobsite methods to precision, technology-driven, and sustainable processes.

The new degree program combines a cross-discipline education track to educate students with the skills and knowledge to design and build the next generation of buildings, including automated construction methods. Key features of the program include: use of digital workflows and systems including BIM, digital twins, AI, prefabrication, and real-time monitoring; partnership with Autodesk to integrate cutting-edge computational tools; and hands-on experience with a COBOD BOD3 large-scale 3D concrete printer and a dedicated 3D-printed Demonstration Building for experiential research and learning.

The donation from Autodesk will fund equipment purchases, renovations, and technical support for the campus to equip the new Autodesk Design and Make Laboratory with cutting-edge tools and robotics. The need is real: Florida is short more than 121,000 homes and rental units, according to UF’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. Industrialized construction, which moves homebuilding toward more efficient methods, is positioned to help close that gap.

Source: The Robot Report