Calgary-based tech startup H.O.M.E | Housing Optimized for Modular Engineering is challenging the way homes are designed, approved, and built. By merging artificial intelligence, automation, and modular construction, the company aims to make housing creation as seamless and data-driven as product design.
Founded by Sumer Singh, H.O.M.E AI was born out of frustration with the slow, fragmented homebuilding process. While completing a Master’s in Advanced Computation for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction, Singh developed the foundation for a system that connects design, permitting, and fabrication through a single digital workflow.
Today, that vision has evolved into H.O.M.E AI—a platform that transforms site data into permit- and prefab-ready housing designs in minutes, linking directly to robotic manufacturing systems.
Calgary.tech sat down with Sumer Singh, founder and CEO of H.O.M.E, about the inspiration behind the platform, the technology powering it, and how Calgary is becoming a hub for next-generation housing innovation.
Can you share the inspiration behind H-O-M-E AI and how it evolved – from first thoughts to a growing tech venture?
SS: The idea for H-O-M-E AI (Housing Optimized for Modular Engineering) grew from years of frustration with the slow and fragmented process of homebuilding. While completing a second Master’s in Advanced Computation for AEC, I developed a framework to streamline the entire process. Our team of architects, engineers, and builders set out to connect design, permitting, and construction through AI, data, and automation—so housing can be built faster, smarter, and more sustainably. What began with the question, “Why can’t a home be designed like a product?” evolved into H-O-M-E AI: a digital engine that transforms site data into permit and prefab ready designs instantly, linking directly to robotic fabrication systems.
What problem is the industry facing that you are solving, and why is now the right time for this technology?
SS: Canada’s housing sector is in crisis. Costs have risen more than 50 percent in the last decade, while skilled-labour shortages and construction timelines continue to grow. Meanwhile, cities are demanding more sustainable and faster delivery of “missing-middle” housing. Our technology addresses these challenges by automating design, compliance, and prefabrication, cutting design timelines from months to minutes, and reducing total project costs by up to 30 percent. With AI innovation, advanced robotics, and new affordability policies aligning, there’s never been a better time to merge design intelligence with manufacturing automation.
H-O-M-E AI brings intelligence and automation to the home-design process. What makes your technology unique compared with other AI or proptech solutions?
SS: Most proptech tools focus on a single phase; either design, sales, or construction. H-O-M-E AI is end-to-end. It combines AI-driven site analysis, generative design, and bylaw validation with real-time prefab constraints so every plan is both permit and fabrication ready. It then links to our AutoBuild Box: a portable robotic micro-factory that fabricates walls, floors, and window modules on-site using mass timber and local materials. Together, they form a connected ecosystem that turns data into dwellings.
Can you walk us through how AI is used in H-O-M-E AI’s process – from generating floor plans to understanding clients’ needs?
SS: Our AI begins with contextual intelligence. It analyzes zoning bylaws, lot geometry, and environmental data to understand what can be built and who it best serves. A generative model then proposes spatial layouts optimized for light, circulation, and constructability. Clients can explore and refine these options in real time, with the system adjusting to feedback, cost, and performance targets. Finally, H-O-M-E AI generates permit-ready drawings and machine files for prefabrication. In short, it functions as both architect and production engineer, bridging imagination and execution.
How is H-O-M-E AI contributing to Calgary’s growing tech ecosystem and the future of smart housing in Canada?
SS: Calgary is emerging as a powerhouse for applied innovation. Through partnerships with SAIT’s Alternative Construction Technologies Hub and CIRAMM research lab, H-O-M-E AI is helping position Alberta as a leader in construction automation. We are demonstrating how AI and robotics can make housing more affordable while creating high-skill, future-proof jobs in manufacturing, data science, and digital fabrication.
What opportunities do you see for collaboration between tech startups, builders, and city planning as AI becomes more integrated into housing?
SS: The next evolution of housing will be deeply collaborative. Imagine startups providing the digital layer, builders delivering on-site execution, and municipalities approving projects automatically through AI-verified design compliance. We see enormous potential in shared data standards, open-source libraries, and partnerships that link tech with trades, while turning cities into living laboratories for smarter, faster, and more sustainable development.
How do you see H-O-M-E AI shaping the way people experience housing?
SS: We believe homes should be as customizable and efficient to create as consumer products. H-O-M-E AI makes personalized design accessible without the traditional cost penalty, ensuring every home meets code, budget, and sustainability targets. Over time, it will empower people to design, price, and visualize their homes interactively, transforming housing from a slow, opaque process into one that’s transparent, efficient, and intuitive.
8. What’s next for H-O-M-E AI? Are there upcoming milestones or technologies you’re excited about?
We’re entering an exciting phase with two major initiatives: our AutoBuild Box prototype with SAIT and our first mass-timber prefab demonstration home in Calgary. We’re also expanding H-O-M-E AI’s capabilities to include generative urban analysis and real time web based rendering, key steps toward our long term vision of building one million homes by 2035.
Pilot access for developers and builders launches in 2025 through www.h-o-m-e.ai. Early partners will be able to generate AI-driven designs and receive permit-ready drawing sets instantly. As the platform scales, homeowners will also be able to explore and customize their homes directly online.
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