Hosted by software company AVAIL, Confluence is a series of professional development events that bring design technology and product management leaders from across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry together in collaborative discourse. Confluence San Francisco 2025’s discussion will center around the theme Progress in AI and ML and take place Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Explore the program below.
Confluence San Francisco 2025 Program
- Demystifying AI and How Olson Kundig Integrates Technology
- ML, AI and the Future of Search
- KM 3.0: Unlocking the Potential of Knowledge Management with AI Search
- Employing AI - From Vision to Production
More on speakers and Progress in AI and ML program
Innovating AEC: Confluence San Francisco 2025
Confluence San Francisco 2025 is the third annual regional event held by AVAIL, following the success of the company’s signature three-day event Confluence Lexington in the fall.
The possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are just starting to come into focus for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
With the goal of improving our designs, workflows, and ultimately the built environment we inhabit, technology companies and design practitioner firms alike are beginning to implement these technologies in new, innovative ways. At Confluence San Francisco 2025 on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, we’ll hear from both software and design practice technology leaders to discuss the progress they have made with these technologies so far.
Speakers for the single-day West Coast event will include Kenton Grant and Gavin Argo from global design practice firm Olson Kundig, Randall Stevens from content management software company AVAIL, Christopher Parsons from knowledge management software company Knowledge Architecture, and Phillip Miller from 3D visualization technology company Chaos. Explore their speaker and session descriptions below.
What is Confluence? Discover the Event Series’ History
Educational Sessions for AEC Technology Leaders
Theme: Progress in AI and ML
Demystifying AI and How Olson Kundig Integrates Technology
Kenton Grant, Director of Technology at Olson Kundig
Gavin Argo, Associate at Olson Kundig
About the Speakers
Kenton Grant, Director of Technology at Olson Kundig, leads both IT and the firm’s new Design Technology (DT) department. The DT department is at the forefront of integrating AI, XR, drones, and advancing project-focused BIM strategies.
Gavin Argo joined Olson Kundig as an intern in 2014 and transitioned to a full-time architect in 2015. Since then, he has contributed to advancing the firm’s design technology strategies, supporting efforts to enhance the quality and depth of its collective work.
Confluence San Francisco Session
In their session, Kenton and Gavin will explore how AI is shaping their design processes, share tools and strategies, and discuss the firm’s unique top-down + bottom-up approach to innovation.
Check out Olson Kundig’s session insights from Confluence Lexington 2024.
ML, AI and the Future of Search
Randall Stevens, CEO and Founder at AVAIL
About the Speaker
A software entrepreneur, Randall Stevens is passionate about creating solutions for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. He graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Architecture and shortly after founded the Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC)-focused company ArchVision. Leveraging his industry expertise further in 2016, Randall started content management system (CMS) AVAIL that now boasts Gensler, Perkins&Will, IMEG, LEO A DALY, and Populous as customers, among others.
Confluence San Francisco 2025 Session
AVAIL is leveraging advancements in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve search and expose new ways of interacting with your information. In this Confluence session, we’ll take a look at how new auto-tagging technologies are improving search across content ranging from construction details to photos and how chatbots can be used to digest information in new ways. We’ll also take a look at AVAIL’s next-generation suggestion engine and how advancements in ML and AI promise to provide just-in-time content delivery, making traditional search a thing of the past.
Check out AVAIL’s session insights from Confluence Lexington 2024.
KM 3.0: Unlocking the Potential of Knowledge Management with AI Search
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO at Knowledge Architecture
About the Speaker
As Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, Christopher is responsible for product development, marketing, and organizational health. He is also the executive producer of KA Connect, Knowledge Architecture’s annual knowledge management conference for the AEC industry. Christopher has been a technology leader in the AEC industry since 2002, including serving as the Chief Information Officer for Steinberg Architects and the Information Technology Director for SMWM (now Perkins&Will).
Confluence San Francisco 2025 Session
Knowledge Architecture believes we’re entering a golden era of knowledge management for the AEC industry—one where AI-powered tools transform how firms capture, curate, and leverage their collective expertise. In this talk, we’ll explore how leading AEC firms are using emerging technologies such as Synthesis AI Search to unlock the full potential of their knowledge, making information easier to find, enabling smarter decision-making, and improving workflows across design technology, marketing, and operations. We’ll take a behind-the-scenes look at how AI search is built, share real-world outcomes, and discuss how AI is helping firms bridge the gap between knowledge and action.
Check out Knowledge Architecture’s episode on the Confluence Podcast.
Employing AI - From Vision to Production
Bill Allen, Director of Product Management at Chaos
About the Speaker
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Former CEO and President at AI-powered AEC tool EvolveLAB, Bill Allen is now Director of Product Management at 3D visualization technology company Chaos.
Confluence San Francisco 2025 Session
Chaos will share their views and results from their AI initiatives over the past 12 months. Learn about AI approaches, possibilities, realities, and what will be within your reach soon to use with your own projects.
Get a Taste of Confluence Programing
Confluence Lexington 2024
Confluence New York 2024
Join Us in April
AI and ML are changing the way architects, engineers, and BIM managers are interacting with each other and their projects and workflows on a daily basis. Confluence San Francisco 2025 is a unique opportunity to discuss the implications, capabilities, and limitations of these technologies with the AEC industry’s most innovative technology leaders so you and your team can make informed decisions about AI and ML adoption.
Considering coming to Confluence San Francisco? Here are some key takeaways to look forward to:
- Practical Application of AI in Real-World Scenarios - Attendees will move beyond theoretical discussions and gain insights into how AI is being implemented in practical settings.
- AEC Industry-Specific Insights and Best Practices - Confluence San Francisco sessions will provide valuable insights into how AI is being adopted within the AEC industry, with specific examples from software providers and a leading architecture firm. Additionally, attendees will discuss the best practices for integrating AI into design processes.
Get Ahead of AI and ML
Join us at Confluence San Francisco 2025
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Confluence San Francisco 2025 is hosted by AVAIL and sponsored by Egnyte, Knowledge Architecture, Chaos, ArchVision, Brick & Mortar Ventures, and TRXL.
Check out Confluence Podcast
The director’s commentary track for AEC industry software
About Confluence
Hosted by software company AVAIL, Confluence is a series of architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry professional development events that bring design technology and product management leaders together in collaborative discourse. Its signature conference, Confluence Lexington, is a three-day, invite-only event themed around a pressing industry technology issue and held in the fall every year. In the last few years, regional, one-day events have also been added, as well as a podcast hosted by AVAIL CEO and Founder Randall Stevens and TRXL Media Director Evan Troxel.
About AVAIL
Founded in 2016 as a solution for architecture and engineering firms to find the information they need faster, AVAIL creates software for the global architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. AVAIL’s content management system (CMS) platform and Revit application tools help designers and engineers take control of their intricate network of files in one visual, streamlined solution. AVAIL’s customers include industry leaders Gensler, Perkins&Will, IMEG, LEO A DALY, and Populous.
