Here’s the uncomfortable truth—commercial space planning hasn’t evolved since the 1990s. Most architectural workflows are still dependent on AutoCAD, with architects manually drawing test fits line by line. It's slow, expensive, and entirely unscalable.
This outdated process is the biggest bottleneck in real estate decision-making today. While we’ve optimized everything from CRM systems to digital marketing, space planning—the actual product being sold or leased—remains manual.
AI in Office Space Design
AI in office design isn't just a buzzword. It's a tectonic shift. And the players who adopt it early will set a new bar for speed, efficiency, and tenant experience.
Historical parallel? Think AWS in the 2010s. Before cloud services became mainstream, engineering teams had to manually manage infrastructure. Then came automation—suddenly, engineers could deploy global services in minutes. AI is doing the same for architectural planning.
Today, platforms like qbiq are enabling non-designers—landlords, brokers, and even corporate tenants—to produce data-backed architectural layouts and rendered tours in under 24 hours.
Let’s look at what this shift unlocks in real terms:
- Avison Young used AI-generated layouts to win a major client in just 24 hours after their original space was rejected .
- Colliers Japan increased project planning capacity and won more global accounts by integrating AI in the preliminary phase .
- Contract Workplaces helped a landlord visualize and rent out a plug & play office within days by leveraging AI-generated fit-outs.
This isn't a theory. It’s real operators getting real outcomes.
Who’s Winning?
If you're still waiting three weeks for a test fit, you’re already behind. The firms embracing AI are closing deals faster, impressing clients more, and using space as a competitive advantage instead of a liability.
Even coworking chains like ROOMS by Fattal discovered hidden revenue—21 additional workstations—just by running an AI layout audit on existing space.
So Where Does qbiq Fit In?
qbiq is building what amounts to the "AWS of architectural planning"—a platform that can generate and compare layout plans and 3D tours for any space in a day. It's the only tool that empowers leasing teams, brokers, and landlords to visualize, iterate, and pitch space without waiting for architectural bandwidth.
With over 450 million square feet already processed and major clients like Skanska, JLL, CBRE, Brookfield, M.Moser and Colliers in its user base.
But perhaps the most compelling part? This AI doesn’t replace the architect. It frees them up. Firms like Gindi Studio saw their planning capacity triple after integrating qbiq—turning a loss-leader process into a scalable service.
Conclusion: Space Planning Is the Product
If you're in real estate and still see space planning as a backend task, you're missing where the market is going. Today, architectural clarity isn't overhead—it’s a lever. The firms that win are the ones who treat planning as a frontline tool for closing deals.
