Atlanta-based architecture firm uses AI to mitigate risk from ‘El Niño’ storms – WABE

Atlanta-based architecture firm uses AI to mitigate risk from ‘El Niño’ storms  WABE

Construction is happening across metro Atlanta, from new apartments and office buildings to road projects and neighborhood developments. But a potentially wet winter could create another challenge for projects already dealing with high costs. NOAA says El Niño is strengthening and has a greater than 90% chance of becoming a very strong event this fall and winter. The agency’s seasonal outlook calls for increased chances of above-normal precipitation across the southern U.S., including the Southeast. Patrick Chopson is co-founder and principal at Atlanta-based architecture firm Cove. He says the impact on construction could go beyond losing a day to rain, making excavation and foundation work difficult even after the rain stops.

He also notes that construction contracts often include a set number of weather days based on historical averages, which may not account for an unusually wet winter. Chopson spoke to WABE’s “All Things Considered” about which stages of construction are most vulnerable to wet weather, how delays can affect project costs and completion dates, and what Atlanta-area developers and builders can do now to prepare for a wetter winter.