Autodesk and the University of Florida open the most advanced robotics industrialized construction lab in the U.S. to tackle housing and labor shortages

Autodesk and the University of Florida open the most advanced robotics industrialized construction lab in the U.S. to tackle housing and labor shortages

PR Newswire

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 4, 2026

A $1 million donation from Autodesk will fund the equipment, renovations, and technical support behind the new Autodesk Design and Make Laboratory at the University of Florida, helping prepare students for careers in industrialized construction, an industry where 41% of today's workforce nears retirement by 2031. The local workforce pipeline will be prime to help address the shortage of more than 121,000 homes and rental units in Florida.GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The most advanced robotics lab in the U.S. dedicated to industrialized construction opens its doors this fall semester at the University of Florida, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held today, aimed at three converging challenges: Florida can't build homes fast enough to stay affordable, an estimated 41% of construction workers will be at or near retirement by 2031*, and hurricane-hit communities wait years to rebuild. In early testing, robots developed by the lab's research team point to the possibility of framing a set of houses in a weekend instead of months.