Architecture software startups are looking to disrupt the design process - insiders say these are the 15 hottest names to watch

Associated Press

A view of the Generali tower skyscraper, designed by architect and designer Zaha Hadid, which was officially inaugurated in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

• Architecture, unlike it's counterparty industry, construction, has decisively become a digital industry, with almost all design taking place within popular software platforms like AutoCAD.
• With the advent of virtual reality, machine-learning programs that can generate designs algorithmically, and the widespread popularity of cloud-based collaboration tools, tech continues to have drastic effects on architecture.
• We polled a range of architects, designers, and venture capitalists to create a list of the 15 hottest architectural tech startups.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Architecture straddles the line between art and the practical application of science.

Before computers could handle complicated graphical rendering, much of their work was free-drawn on a drafting table with a pencil.

But with the advent of AutoCAD and other programs, the industry rapidly became a digital industry. While construction, the next step from architecture in the real estate life-cycle, has been slow to apply new tech, architecture has evolved along with it.

As a result, the cutting edge of architecture technology has embraced machine learning and advanced, real-time rendering to make generative design (computer-generated design options) and even full design automation possible.

We spoke to a number of venture capitalists, architects, and analysts who study architecture about some of the most cutting-edge startups in the field. While many of the startups are building generative design tools, others are attempting to streamline project management or file storage for architects.

Read on for a list of the 15 hottest architecture tech startups.