Architectural firm Foster + Partners has secured a position in a UK-EU research consortium awarded a £4 million grant under the European Innovation Council Pathfinder programme. The funding covers a three-year project titled SWIFT-BUILD, which stands for Swarm-based Inverted Fabrication for Timber Buildings.

The project introduces an inverted robotic assembly system designed to construct timber buildings from the top downward. Under this process, workers assemble each floor level at ground height before mechanical units raise the structure upward to create space for subsequent storeys. Ground-based machinery handles the primary assembly and lifting tasks, while overhead drones track construction progress to flag potential issues as they occur. These autonomous units exchange data continuously to operate safely without requiring ongoing human direction.

Irene Gallou, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, said: “Combining state-of-the-art robotics and integrated AI tools, SWIFT-BUILD’s inverted construction method can adapt to various scales and uses, with the potential for wide-reaching applications. The focus on timber modular construction highlights the project’s sustainable agenda, with circularity and flexibility at its core.”

The research effort will end with a full-scale physical trial involving an autonomous robotic swarm building a timber pavilion. The design features mechanically reversible connections that allow workers to dismantle the building selectively and recover structural materials at the end of its life.

Foster + Partners serves as the sole commercial industry partner alongside a network of academic institutions. Participating universities include the University of Bristol, the University of Birmingham, the University of Southern Denmark, the Technical University of Munich, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the University of Pisa and the Delft University of Technology.