What Will the Architect of Record Reject in AI Review Comments?
Helonic is an AI construction drawing analysis platform for general contractors sending AI review comments to the architect of record. The architect of record will reject AI review comments that are not tied to a sheet, a detail, or a spec section. A design team answers questions it can check. A comment that says "possible issue near stair 2" sends a project architect hunting, and it usually comes back with a request for clarification instead of an answer.
Direct answer. An architect of record rejects comments from Helonic or any AI drawing review tool that lack a sheet, detail, or spec reference, cite code with no condition, question settled design choices, or repeat each other. A comment the architect will answer names both references and the conflict in one sentence.
What does a rejected comment look like next to an accepted one?
| Rejected | Answered |
|---|---|
| Possible fire-rating issue near stair 2. | Door 2-14 at stair 2 is 90-minute on the life-safety plan G-102 and 20-minute on the door schedule A-601. Which governs? |
| Check compliance with IBC 1011. | Stair 3 riser height on A-511 is 7 3/4 inches. IBC 1011.5.2 allows 7 inches maximum. Please confirm the riser count. |
| Wall types may be inconsistent. | Detail 5 on A-501 calls for wall type W3. The partition schedule on A-601 has no W3. |
Every answered comment can be checked in under a minute. The architect opens two sheets and decides. The stair example cites the riser limit in IBC Chapter 10, and the RFI structure behind that is in how to write an RFI.
Which comments get sent straight back?
- No sheet, detail, or spec reference.
- A code section number with no condition from the drawings.
- A question about a design choice the documents already state clearly.
- The same conflict written three ways from three sheets.
- Text that reads like raw machine output, hedged and generic.
The last one is about trust. A design team that suspects nobody read the comment before sending it will treat the whole list as noise. Common sources of noise are covered in AI drawing review false positives.
Who should confirm a comment before it goes out?
A person on the GC's team who can read the sheets, usually the project engineer or preconstruction manager. That person opens both references, decides whether the conflict is real, and rewrites the comment if needed. The architect should only ever see confirmed comments.
Helonic findings carry the sheet and the spot on the PDF, and detail cross-referencing checks that callouts point to details that exist. The person still decides what is sent. The liability side of that step is covered in who is responsible when AI drawing review misses something.
How should comments be packaged for the design team?
- Group by discipline so each consultant gets only their questions.
- Send one RFI per conflict, or one review log, not fifty emails.
- Put the highest-cost questions first.
- State the response date the bid needs.
Helonic can push confirmed findings as RFIs through the Procore integration, which keeps the references attached. The full path from PDF to RFI is in the PDF-to-RFI workflow.
What does the architect gain from a clean list?
Fewer questions after award. A conflict answered by addendum before bid costs the design team an hour. The same conflict found in the field costs a site visit, an ASI, and sometimes a claim. Background on how these reviews work is in how to review construction drawings and AI for construction drawings.
Practitioner insight
“If you tell me door 2-14 says 90 minutes here and 20 minutes there, I'll fix it today. If you tell me there might be a rating issue somewhere near a stair, it goes to the bottom of the pile.”
Conversations with project architects at architecture firms who received AI-assisted review comments from general contractors during bidding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which AI drawing review comments will an architect of record reject?
What makes a comment the architect will answer?
Should the GC tell the architect the comments came from AI?
How many comments should go to the architect at once?
What happens if the GC sends noisy comments?
Milind Sagaram
Co-founder & CEO, HelonicMilind is the co-founder and CEO of Helonic, where he leads product and go-to-market for AI-powered construction drawing analysis. He works closely with general contractors, project managers, estimators, and owners to understand how drawing quality drives project outcomes - and where AI can reduce RFIs, change orders, and rework. Milind has interviewed hundreds of construction professionals across project delivery roles, from preconstruction estimators at ENR top-400 contractors to facilities directors at institutional owners, and uses those conversations to shape both product direction and the way Helonic talks about the work.
- Construction project delivery and preconstruction
- RFI and change order economics
- Owner and GC workflows for drawing QA/QC
- Estimating risk and bid-stage scope assessment
Last reviewed by Milind Sagaram · October 2026