💡 Orbi AI is Planbase's built-in architecture AI assistant. Here's how architects are using it to speed up research, write better case studies, and plan projects more efficiently.

Orbi AI is Planbase's built-in architecture AI assistant. Here's how architects are using it to speed up research, write better case studies, and plan projects more efficiently.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in 2026. Most of it isn't built for architects.

Generic AI tools don't understand what a planning statement needs to include. They don't know the difference between RIBA Stage 2 and Stage 4. They produce writing that sounds like everyone else's.

Orbi AI is different. It's built into the Planbase platform and trained on architecture-specific knowledge planning processes, RIBA stages, building regulations, material specifications, and industry terminology. It understands the context you're working in before you've typed a word.

Here are five practical ways architects are using it. Orbi AI to save time and produce better work.

Writing project case study narratives

Strong drawings aren't enough if the narrative around them is weak. Most architects find project descriptions harder than the design itself, you are too close to the work to describe it clearly, and the blank page doesn't help. Give Orbi your raw notes and brief. It structures them into a clear three-part narrative brief, concept, outcome and that gives reviewers exactly what they need. Edit the output back to your voice and you are done. That process takes minutes, not hours.

Planning research and regulatory reference

Querying planning policy for a specific site type, understanding Part L and Future Homes Standard implications, getting a BREEAM or Passivhaus reference summary. These tasks eat time that should go toward design. Orbi can surface relevant regulatory context quickly, giving you a working reference point without the manual search. Use it to get oriented fast, then verify anything critical against primary sources.

Structuring a client brief

After an initial client conversation, most architects are left with a page of notes and the task of turning them into something coherent. Orbi can take that raw material and produce a structured written brief, a scope of services summary, and a list of questions to bring to the next meeting. It doesn't replace your judgement about what the project needs, it removes the admin friction of getting that thinking onto the page.

Writing personal statements and cover letters

Generic cover letters get ignored. Orbi helps you frame your experience for a specific firm or role type whether you're targeting a boutique studio, a developer, or the public sector while keeping the language professional and specific to architecture. The goal isn't to outsource your voice. It's to get past the blank page faster and spend your time refining rather than drafting from scratch.

Getting the best from Orbi AI

Be specific. Vague prompts produce vague results. Give Orbi context the project type, the audience, the stage you're at and the output will be substantially more useful. Treat everything as a draft. Orbi is a starting point, not a finishing tool. The best results come from editing the output, not publishing it unchanged. Use it where you struggle most. Orbi is most valuable for the writing tasks architects find hardest not the thinking they do best. Use it to remove friction, not replace judgement.

Orbi AI is available on the Planbase Standard plan. If you've been spending hours on writing that should take minutes, it's time to work differently. Build your portfolio on Planbase and put Orbi to work today.