From left to right; Jim Lynch, Phillip Bernstein and Nicolas Mangon, who have been instrumental in founding and scaling BIM, joined me on stage at the National Building Museum’s 2026 gala.

Last week, Autodesk received the 2026 National Building Museum Honor Award during the Museum’s annual Gala in Washington, D.C., and I had the privilege of accepting the award on behalf of the company.  Presented for nearly four decades, the National Building Museum Honor Award recognizes individuals and organizations whose work has shaped how communities are designed, built, and experienced. To be included alongside past recipients such as Lady Bird Johnson, the Rockefeller Foundation, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Gensler, and Arup is humbling, and makes this recognition especially meaningful for Autodesk.

The National Building Museum’s 2026 gala

The award reflects more than 40 years of Autodesk’s work in service of the architects, engineers, contractors, designers, builders, and owners shaping the built world around us. From the introduction of AutoCAD in 1982 to today’s investments in cloud, data, and AI-powered workflows, our focus has remained the same: to connect the people who design and make, from the first idea through delivery, so they can move faster and make better decisions together.  While Autodesk received the award, the work it really celebrates was not done by us alone. Our customers are the people turning ideas into hospitals, schools, laboratories, bridges, homes, and public spaces that millions rely on every day. Their work—and the increasing complexity behind it—was a theme throughout the evening, but so was a sense of optimism about what’s possible when creativity, technology, and collaboration come together.  That spirit will be reflected in The Playground, the upcoming installation from Snarkitecture that will transform the Museum’s Great Hall this summer. There is something especially fitting about that project being part of the celebration; a playground is often where many of us first discover the joy of imagining and making something real. That instinct to create and build is deeply connected to the work our customers do every day—and to the mission we pursue at Autodesk.  I’m grateful to the entire National Building Museum team for this recognition, and to the customers, partners, and Autodesk teams whose work made the evening possible.  This recognition ultimately belongs to the people making what matters, and building not just for today, but for the generations ahead.