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Throughout February UrbanToronto is featuring a special State of Construction editorial series to explore all the critical issues of construction across our region.
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As digital tools become increasingly embedded in project delivery, construction sites across the GTA are beginning to look markedly different from even a decade ago. From AI-assisted estimating and automated drone flights to 3D site scanning and real-time logistics booking, technology is changing how projects are monitored, costed, and coordinated. UrbanToronto spoke with Taylor Rogers, Project Director at Dunpar Homes, to learn more about the technologies changing the construction process.
At Dunpar Homes’ 96-unit Lambton Towns rental community near St Clair Avenue West, along with the 10-storey Kingsway Village Square on Earlington rental development at The Kingsway and Dundas, these tools are already used in day-to-day operations. “The construction industry is historically a slow adopter. We’re known as dinosaurs in a lot of cases,” said Rogers.
At Lambton Towns, Dunpar has moved beyond conventional progress photography by deploying automated drone flights that follow pre-programmed routes over the site. Equipped with LiDAR scanning, the drones generate a navigable 3D model that captures both plan and elevation conditions, allowing the team to review construction progress from multiple angles rather than relying solely on static images.
“During our excavation, the AI technology would do a cut-fill calculation… telling us how much material we have on site, how much material we need to import or export, which is normally more of a guessing game for most builders,” noted Rogers.
Beyond the job site, Dunpar is applying AI to pre-construction cost control through automated digital takeoffs. Using Togal.AI, the team uploads floor plans and elevations and queries the system for quantities ranging from masonry areas to window counts, with built-in assumptions for material yield and waste. What once required a manual measurement process can now be generated in minutes, giving the project team verified quantities before tenders are issued. “It can output a takeoff for me in about three to five minutes, using simple prompts,” shared Rogers.
On the management side, Dunpar is layering AI into its long-standing use of Procore, introducing a query-based system that allows project teams to extract live data without manually building reports. Rogers noted: “Instead of running reports and trying to analyze deficiencies, I can ask it specific questions: how many observations do I have with this trade that are currently open, and how many are open more than 30 days? We’re able to ask more specific, pointed questions. It makes our conversations more strategic instead of guesstimating.”
Dunpar is also preparing to implement a digital booking platform that allows subcontractors to reserve delivery windows in advance, specifying the duration of the drop-off along with required resources such as a telehandler or access to the loading area. The system then allocates available time slots and makes the schedule visible to site staff and trade partners in real time, replacing ad hoc arrivals and manually updated boards.
At Kingsway Village Square, Dunpar has deployed OpenSpace 3D scanning throughout construction, documenting conditions from excavation through to pre-drywall inspections. Using a helmet-mounted 360-degree camera, site staff walk each floor as part of routine reviews while the system records a spatially mapped digital record of the building. The result is a navigable model that captures mechanical, electrical, and structural components before they are concealed behind concrete or drywall.
“We like to consider it like Google Earth,” said Rogers. “It creates a map, and you can go into that space and spin around… and see what’s in the wall. We call it our X-ray vision.”
Beyond productivity and cost control, Dunpar is also applying AI to site safety. Integrated into its scanning platforms, the system can identify missing guardrails and other potential hazards during routine walkthroughs, automatically generating safety observations for follow-up. “If it sees that a railing is missing somewhere, it knows that there should be a railing there, and it will create a safety observation for us,” Rogers noted.
Rogers acknowledges that widespread uptake across the construction sector will take time. He points to the industry’s long-standing preference for established processes, where methods refined over decades are often seen as sufficient. Yet he argues that mounting pressures to deliver projects more efficiently, control costs, and improve safety are accelerating the shift toward data-driven workflows.
“Just because you’ve been doing it that way for 25 years doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look at new technology,” Rogers concluded. “It’s not just about getting photos with a camera. It’s about getting the data. Eventually, the whole industry is going to be adopting technologies like this.”
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UrbanToronto’s research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate State of Construction Month.