Konkuk University Students’ Idea Brings Aircraft-Style Safety Checks to Construction Sites

[Financial News] A university student’s idea to apply the mandatory preflight inspection system to construction sites and manage on-site safety by linking artificial intelligence (AI) with digital three-dimensional design won the top prize at a smart construction contest.
Konkuk University announced on the 9th that students in the Architectural Engineering major of its School of Architecture had won three awards at the 2026 Smart Construction Technology Idea Contest, including the grand prize, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award.
Yeo Seung-jun, who won the grand prize, received high marks for proposing a “digital safety management system for construction sites incorporating concepts from the aviation sector.” The proposal applies the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) system—which requires aircraft to verify designated components and safety conditions before takeoff—to safety inspections at each stage of construction. It links Building Information Modeling (BIM), which renders buildings as three-dimensional models on computer screens, with a vision-language model (VLM) AI system that independently analyzes on-site photos and videos. This enables real-time checks of whether workers are properly following safety rules.
Other ideas for ensuring the safety of steel structures and managing materials also won awards. Jang Woong, who received the Korea Construction Engineers Association President’s Award, proposed using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors to inspect, with millimeter-level precision, whether fire-resistant special coatings had been properly applied to steel frames.
Jang Ji-won, who received the Konkuk University President’s Award, proposed a “reissue prevention system” to manage the safety records of pipe supports, temporary columns used to prevent floors or ceilings from collapsing during construction. The system identifies supports that have been damaged or exposed to hazards at a site based on their history, preventing defective materials from being brought into another site.
The contest was held for graduates of a training program for young prospective construction engineers jointly organized by the Korea Construction Engineers Association, Konkuk University, Mokpo National University and Yeungnam University. A total of 56 ideas were submitted on improving on-site quality and process management, and 11 finalists were selected for awards following an expert review.
A university official said, “The students’ work is particularly meaningful because they connected advanced technologies such as three-dimensional digital models, artificial intelligence and laser sensors, which they learned through the training, with chronic safety and quality problems at actual construction sites to propose practical solutions.”

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter