AI saved my construction project from very expensive delays

At the time, I was leading the design and managing the project for a small apartment building in Brooklyn that was close to completion. In the penthouse unit we had installed a modern gas fireplace that had been carefully selected to meet safety codes. When the city inspector came to review the installation, he flagged the fireplace as not meeting code because it didn’t have a UL listing.

That immediately created a stressful situation. The gas inspection was tied to the plumbing sign-off and the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, which meant tenants couldn’t move in without approval. I was quite sure the fireplace was compliant under another recognized safety standard, but building codes are dense and technical, and confirming the exact pathway can take hours of research.

I used a new AI platform called Ichiplan that works like an on-demand building code consultant. I typed in the question the inspector raised and uploaded the fireplace specifications showing the certification standard it met. I explained that the fireplace had been tested under a recognized safety standard, even though it didn’t carry a UL listing.

Within minutes, the AI located the relevant section of the New York City Fuel Gas Code and confirmed that fireplaces tested under that standard are explicitly permitted. Most importantly, it pointed me directly to the exact code sections so I could verify the information myself and understand the regulatory pathway clearly.

Instead of spending hours digging through dense code documents under pressure, I had the answer in minutes. I reviewed the cited sections to confirm them and then used ChatGPT to help organize the relevant provisions into a short, clear email with references for the contractor and owner.

Because the explanation directly cited the applicable code language, the inspector approved the fireplace as installed. What could have become a major issue was resolved quickly without disrupting the project timeline.