The architecture industry is facing rising pressures to design our homes, workplaces, and communities to withstand the effects of climate change, accommodate growing populations, and meet increasing standards and requirements. In fact, 82% of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) companies today are feeling pressure to improve sustainability, according to Autodesk’s State of Design & Make report. It’s an enormous responsibility that depends on adapting to new technology and ways of working to rise to the challenge.

We see opportunities to improve integration across the industry to achieve better project outcomes like more sustainable, resilient buildings that are completed on time and on budget. Ultimately, better collaboration leads to better project outcomes. I’m excited for Autodesk to partner with our customers on this journey.

The next technological transformation

As I’ve shared previously, the recent release of Autodesk Forma marks the first step for Autodesk’s industry cloud for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry. With this first release, Forma is building towards a reimagined way of working that empowers architects to focus on achieving project outcomes to solve the biggest challenges we face. The current capabilities target early-stage site planning, design, and analysis, enabling architects with data-driven insights and AI-powered analysis to support better project outcomes and more sustainable buildings.

Autodesk Forma’s current capabilities target early-stage site planning, design, and analysis, enabling architects with data-driven insights and AI-powered analysis to support better project outcomes and more sustainable buildings.

Over time, we’ll add new features and capabilities to Forma that will connect your data, teams, and processes to provide a single source of truth and enable more efficient collaboration. Forma will also harness AI, machine learning, automation, and the Internet of Things to reduce errors and solve problems before they occur.

We’re seeing early examples of improved project outcomes from customers like CUBE 3, who reduced overall design time by 50-66% in the conceptual design phase. This boosted the firm’s operational efficiency and communication, and improved client satisfaction and design quality, which are key to the business’ growth.

Using Forma’s sun hour analysis to inform their design, the CUBE 3 team was able to ensure an adequate level of both sun and shade for their building’s rooftop pool to satisfy stakeholder requirements.

Today’s technology can future-proof for tomorrow

In addition to Forma’s early-stage site planning, design, and analysis capabilities, Autodesk technology makes it easier to design and deliver projects with sustainability and outcomes in mind. From initial concepting to improved collaboration and design reviews, our current offerings support every stage of the architecture workflow:

Sustainability: A changing climate demands new ways of living, working, designing, and making. Autodesk ReCap Pro, Revit, and Insight–all part of the Autodesk AEC Collection–are helping AEC firms to minimize carbon impacts for new construction and renovations alike.

Design collaboration: It’s critical to have teams on the same page at every stage of a design and construction project. Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro syncs multi-disciplinary production workflows in AutoCAD and Revit, improving collaboration and coordination across teams.

Visualization: Through our work with Epic Games, we’ve introduced Twinmotion for Revit to bring photoreal, real-time experiences to CAD and BIM projects. This elevates the design experience for clients and collaborators with better communication of design intent.

Cloud services: Autodesk is building the developer platform for AEC digital transformation with data and workflow integrations, dashboards, custom applications, and digital twins.

• Digital Twin functionality in Autodesk Tandem helps connect data from a building’s lifecycle within one dynamic, digital replica, making it possible to align on outcomes from the beginning and improve operational performance with smarter buildings.
• Autodesk’s Manufacturing Informed Design (MID) connects design and build from day one, allowing building product manufacturers to define the guidelines for what’s possible with their products. This emerging technology helps architects design more quickly and with greater certainty.

Extended reality (XR): XR is fundamentally changing the way designers and builders interact with their data. Enabling a team of stakeholders to walk through a building together in virtual reality before any construction materials have been purchased is an enormous leap forward to mitigate miscommunication, misalignment, and downstream issues on the construction site.

At Autodesk, we have a history of helping our customers embrace technological transformations. Today, we have the tools that fuel your designs. And with Forma, we are ushering in the next phase of building information modeling (BIM). Ultimately, this technology will enable the AECO industry to design the built environment to be resilient to climate change, accommodate and house our communities, and benefit our collective future. This is just the beginning, and I’m looking forward to going on this journey together.