Augmenta Appoints Spatial AI Expert, Richard Zhang, as VP of AI and R&D to Accelerate Generative Design for the Built Environment

The appointment of the IEEE Fellow and Simon Fraser University professor underscores Augmenta’s commitment to advancing construction and engineering with cutting-edge AI

TORONTO, Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Augmenta, the leading generative design platform for the built environment, today announced the appointment of acclaimed AI and computer graphics expert Richard Zhang as Vice President of AI and R&D. Zhang, who is also a professor at Simon Fraser University and a member of the ACM SIGGRAPH Academy, will lead the company’s efforts in developing the industry’s most advanced AI tools for efficient and sustainable building designs.

"I believe that the next wave of AI should serve the physical world, with models that possess the functional, spatial, and constructive intelligence needed to solve real-world problems,” said Zhang. My research to date has focused on 3D generative AI and structured representation learning, so when I learned about Augmenta's vision for AI in construction, I felt an immediate and powerful alignment. It’s a natural extension of my work to apply these principles to the built environment, an industry that is ripe for transformation."

In his new role, Zhang will accelerate the development of Augmenta’s proprietary AI technology. His initial priorities include supporting the company’s existing electrical raceway design solution and integrating data-driven techniques to improve the speed and sophistication of the generated designs. His long-term vision is to position Augmenta as a leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) with spatial and functional intelligence, tackling physical-world challenges and broadly contributing to the R&D ecosystem for physical AI. With Zhang’s leadership, Augmenta will extend its position at the bleeding edge of AI for physical industries.

"Richard's addition to the team is a tremendous step for Augmenta and a clear signal to the industry about our commitment to innovation," said Francesco Iorio, co-founder and CEO of Augmenta. "His profound expertise will be instrumental in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, helping us to realize our vision of making all new buildings cost effective and sustainable by default, regardless of budget or purpose."

The hiring of Zhang reflects a period of significant growth for Augmenta, following the announcement of its first completed and opened building project, the Mt. Hope Elementary School in Lansing, Michigan. The school marked a major milestone for both Augmenta and the industry by being the first-ever building to use AI to design a critical function. This momentum is further bolstered by the addition of Mark Tepper, a seasoned leader with a strong background in sales and business development from Matterport, qbiq and Metropolis. Tepper has joined Augmenta as VP of Sales to lead its go-to-market strategy and commercial expansion.

To learn more about Augmenta, visit: https://www.augmenta.ai/.

About Augmenta
Augmenta provides AI software for the AEC industry that automates the sustainable design of buildings to deliver greater efficiencies and cost savings at scale. The Augmenta Construction Platform provides design services firms and subcontractors with an automated, cloud-native AI solution for the design of electrical systems. The company’s future roadmap includes delivering a new generation of design tools that fully automate the design of MEP/S systems. Founded by pioneers of Generative Design at Autodesk, Augmenta is based in Toronto, Canada. To learn more, visit www.augmenta.ai/.

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