This AI startup says it can generate permit-ready blueprints in minutes

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Nearly two decades ago, a young college student wrote his final thesis about software capable of generating design documents for school buildings. Al Dram was studying architecture — following in the footsteps of his parents and grandfather — but it was technology that really intrigued him. There was just one problem: The technology his idea required didn’t exist yet.

大约二十年前，一位年轻的大学生写了一篇关于能够生成学校建筑设计文档的软件的毕业论文。阿尔·德拉姆（Al Dram）当时正在学习建筑学——追随他父母和祖父的脚步——但真正让他着迷的是技术。当时有一个问题：他构想所需的技术尚未问世。

“Then ChatGPT came along,” said Dram, recalling when OpenAI released the generative AI chatbot that uses large language models (LLMs) in November 2022. His old idea suddenly seemed a lot more possible. Within six months, he launched the concept of Blueprints AI, a startup that uses AI to produce code-compliant and permit-ready architectural construction blueprints in minutes from a 2D sketch or PDF.

“后来 ChatGPT 出现了，”德拉姆回忆起 OpenAI 在 2022 年 11 月发布使用大语言模型（LLM）的生成式 AI 聊天机器人时的情景。他曾经的想法突然看起来可行多了。在六个月内，他推出了 Blueprints AI 的概念，这是一家利用人工智能在几分钟内根据二维草图或 PDF 生成符合规范且可用于申请许可的建筑施工蓝图的初创公司。

Blueprints AI, which Dram officially incorporated in 2025 in Santa Monica with co-founder Coco Cao, was selected for the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200, a cohort of promising early-stage startups that have earned a spot to exhibit at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, taking place this week from October 13 to 15 in San Francisco.

Blueprints AI 由德拉姆与联合创始人可可·曹（Coco Cao）于 2025 年在圣莫尼卡正式注册成立，并入选了 2026 年“创业战场 200 强”（Startup Battlefield 200）。该项目汇集了一批极具潜力的早期初创公司，它们获得了在本周（10 月 13 日至 15 日）于旧金山举行的 TechCrunch Disrupt 大会上参展的机会。

During that 20-year lead-up to Blueprints AI, Dram earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Tehran and completed two years of PhD coursework on digital design at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. He moved to the United States and opened an architecture firm in 2018 called Drams Design-Build. Then, after obtaining a general contractor’s license, he added a construction business in 2021.

在创立 Blueprints AI 之前的 20 年里，德拉姆在德黑兰大学获得了建筑学学士和硕士学位，并在瑞士欧洲研究生院完成了两年的数字设计博士课程。他移居美国，并于 2018 年开设了一家名为 Drams Design-Build 的建筑事务所。随后，在获得总承包商执照后，他又于 2021 年增加了建筑业务。

Dram should have been satisfied. He wasn’t. “I was saying, okay, maybe I can build new projects that change people’s life in that area, but it wouldn’t be a big impact,” he said. “What makes me very excited about technology is the impact, the hours saved, the energy saved of people doing the same thing over and over and over.”

德拉姆本该感到满足，但他没有。“我当时想，好吧，也许我可以建造一些改变当地人生活的新项目，但这不会产生巨大的影响，”他说。“让我对技术感到非常兴奋的是它所带来的影响，以及为那些不断重复同样工作的人们节省下来的时间和精力。”

Blueprints AI will unveil a more capable second-generation version of its software at Disrupt. Dram and Cao say it will make a big impact because it takes over the repetitive drafting work that fills most of an architect’s day. “It will make better spaces for people because now architects have the time to design,” said Dram. He said architects spend about 80% of their time on drafting and only 20% on design. “I want to flip that to be 20-80.”

Blueprints AI 将在 Disrupt 大会上发布其功能更强大的第二代软件。德拉姆和曹表示，它将产生重大影响，因为它接管了占据建筑师大部分日常工作的重复性绘图任务。“它将为人们创造更好的空间，因为现在建筑师有了设计的时间，”德拉姆说。他表示，建筑师大约 80% 的时间花在绘图上，只有 20% 的时间用于设计。“我想把这个比例颠倒过来，变成 20% 和 80%。”

Dram and Cao met at an AI conference several years ago and combined their skills to build the company. Cao, a data scientist from Hong Kong, handles sales and go-to-market strategy as chief commercial officer. The pair trained their models using eight years of approved drawing sets from Dram’s design and construction firm, which is still in business.

德拉姆和曹几年前在一次人工智能会议上相识，并结合各自的技能共同创立了这家公司。来自香港的数据科学家曹担任首席商务官，负责销售和市场进入策略。两人利用德拉姆的建筑设计公司八年来获批的图纸集对模型进行了训练，该公司目前仍在运营。

Its first-generation software produces architectural construction documents and costs between $3,200 and $8,500 a month, depending on the plan. Custom pricing for enterprises is also available. The startup’s second-generation software will deliver a considerable upgrade. Customers can start with a description or sketch of a project and create blueprints for every aspect of a building at once, including architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior design.

其第一代软件可生成建筑施工文档，根据方案不同，每月费用在 3,200 美元至 8,500 美元之间。企业也可获得定制报价。该初创公司的第二代软件将带来显著升级。客户可以从项目的描述或草图开始，一次性创建建筑各个方面的蓝图，包括建筑、结构、机械、电气、管道和室内设计。

Version 2 allows users to design and make changes to the project, an upgrade over the first iteration. Importantly, one design change updates the entire project and is checked against local building codes. Early customers are already using the second version, and Dram said it will become publicly available this week. The startup is already working on a third version of its software that will add in structural analysis and electrical panel design.

第二版允许用户进行设计并对项目进行修改，这是对第一版的升级。重要的是，一项设计变更会更新整个项目，并根据当地建筑规范进行核对。早期客户已经在使用第二版，德拉姆表示该版本将于本周公开发布。该公司已经在开发第三版软件，将增加结构分析和配电盘设计功能。

The technology doesn’t replace licensed architects, according to the co-founders. Licensed professionals still review the documents and affix their seal before submitting them for permits. The judgment stays human, they say. Blueprints AI is targeting two groups with its new software. Professional architecture, engineering, and design firms make up one group, while developers and real estate owners make up another.

据联合创始人称，这项技术并不会取代持证建筑师。持证专业人员在提交许可申请前，仍需审查文档并加盖印章。他们表示，判断权依然掌握在人类手中。Blueprints AI 的新软件瞄准了两个群体。一个是专业的建筑、工程和设计公司，另一个是开发商和房地产所有者。

The startup offers its software as a subscription and may add a one-time flat-fee option for those who just want it for a single project. To learn more about Blueprints, catch hundreds of other startups, and learn from headliners like RJ Scaringe of Rivian and Amjad Masad of Replit, join us at TechCrunch Disrupt, kicking off Tuesday in downtown San Francisco.

该初创公司以订阅方式提供软件，并可能为仅需单次项目使用的用户增加一次性固定费用选项。欲了解更多关于 Blueprints 的信息，结识数百家其他初创公司，并向 Rivian 的 RJ Scaringe 和 Replit 的 Amjad Masad 等重量级嘉宾学习，欢迎参加于周二在旧金山市中心开幕的 TechCrunch Disrupt 大会。