Artificial Intelligence Comes To The Construction Site: Startup Pillar Technologies Flags Problems Before Disaster Hits

Pillar cofounders Alex Schwarzkopf and Matt Joyal, Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni, developed rugged, wireless devices for construction sites to flag environmental risks like fires or leaks early. In February 2017, AvalonBay's 235-unit development in Maplewood, New Jersey, burned down six weeks before its planned opening. The homebuilder rebuilt the $55 million project from scratch--then searched for new ways to prevent fires, a constant threat when building with woodframe construction. The solution: Pillar Technologies, whose devices monitor temperature, smoke and other signs of pending disaster, and which will soon use artificial intelligence to flag environmental risks even earlier. "It's like medical monitoring for buildings," says Michael Feigin, chief construction officer and executive vice president at AvalonBay.