Zenerate, an AI proptech startup has entered into a strategic partnership with SoLa Impact, a private real estate developer of affordable housing in California. Zenerate has developed a platform that employs generative design, artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics to optimize the feasibility analysis process for real estate projects which it says reduces turnaround time and maximizes development returns.
SoLa Impact has partnered with Zenerate to streamline and automate the feasibility analysis process for its affordable and modular housing developments. The collaboration brings AI technology to the modular construction industry and is expected to dramatically accelerate the speed of planning, configuration, design and the permit approval process for a wide range of SoLa’s affording housing projects.
SoLa currently has over 35 projects with almost 3,000 units at various stages of construction, the majority of which are dedicated to affordable housing.
“By leveraging Zenerate’s cutting-edge technology combined with our proprietary standardization processes, we can bring significantly more units to market more cost-effectively and more quickly, with the vast majority of our projects to house people that are currently homeless and living in tents,” said Martin Muoto, founder and CEO of SoLa Impact. “Equally important, these are units that are an order-of-magnitude more energy efficient than the aging housing stock they are replacing. All units are fully electric, use water-efficient fixtures, and have Energy Star-certified appliances, dramatically reducing GHG emissions while providing cost savings to California’s low-income Black and brown communities.”
The integration of Zenerate’s software into SoLa Impact’s modular operations will facilitate data-driven decision-making, allowing for a more efficient and comprehensive evaluation of potential development sites, construction costs, and market demand. By automating the feasibility and design analysis, SoLa Impact’s team will be able to evaluate more sites, repurpose vacant and sub-optimized locations, and build for maximum density and affordability.
“By automating key parts of the feasibility, configuration, and eventually, the permitting process, we aim to enable developers to run thousands of financial and design scenarios instantly, ultimately contributing to the advancement of affordable housing initiatives,” said Zenerate Co-Founder and CEO Benji Shin.
