This September, Nashville hosted one of the most influential events in AEC and construction technology: Autodesk University 2025. AU 2025: The Design & Make Conference brought together thousands of professionals from September 16–18, 2025 at Nashville’s Music City Center, marking a pivotal moment for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. 

With over 500 expert-led sessions covering the latest in design technology, workflows and industry trends, AU2025 delivered more than just software updates—it outlined a comprehensive vision for how data-driven, AI-powered workflows will reshape project delivery from planning through operations. 

Why AU2025 Matters for the AEC Industry 

The conference arrived at a critical juncture for our industry. CEO Andrew Anagnost opened the General Session acknowledging the rising pressures that AECO firms face, including labor shortages, strained supply chains, and rising demand for building. 

This video introduces the next generation of Autodesk Assistant, showcasing how AI is evolving from automation to intelligent partnership in the agentic era. 

Source: Autodesk University – AI Makeanything AU2025 Official Video 

His message was clear: “We want you to make more housing, more resilient infrastructure, more factories, and more stories—more efficiently, more cost-effectively, and with better outcomes for everyone.” 

This isn’t just about doing more with less—it’s about fundamentally changing how we approach project coordination, data management, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The announcements at AU2025 signal Autodesk’s commitment to moving the industry beyond fragmented tools toward unified, cloud-based ecosystems that enable true interoperability. 

AI, Data, and Connected Workflows: The Core Transformation 

The Rise of AI-Native Platforms 

Autodesk Forma has emerged as the first end-to-end, AI-native platform for the AECO industry, representing a significant shift from traditional CAD/BIM workflows. This isn’t simply AI as an add-on feature—it’s intelligence built into the foundation of how design, construction, and operations teams collaborate. 

As demonstrated in the official AU2025 video, Autodesk announced the next generation of Autodesk Assistant, powered by Autodesk AI. This represents a shift into the “agentic era” where AI becomes a trusted partner that “understands your context, helps solve problems faster, and brings the power of AI into the flow of your project.” These agentic AI assistants will debut in Revit later this year and be included in AutoCAD, Civil 3D and other design programs next year, designed not just for automation’s sake, but as “intelligence that works with you, learns from you, and gets out of your way when you’re in flow.” 

Data as the Strategic Driver 

The emphasis on data-driven decision making was unmistakable throughout AU2025. The Forma Industry Cloud moves beyond files to a cloud-based data model that links every phase of your project lifecycle, delivering transparency, control, and real-time insights from planning to operations. 

This represents exactly the kind of transformation that makes sophisticated BIM coordination and VDC workflows more accessible and powerful. When project data flows seamlessly between disciplines and phases, coordination becomes proactive rather than reactive—catching conflicts before they become costly field issues.

Enhanced Interoperability Through Connected Clients 

Autodesk introduced the term “Forma Connected Client” to label all desktop software applications that have deep integration with Forma industry cloud. Revit becomes the first Forma Connected Client, enabling seamless access to Forma’s cloud capabilities directly from the desktop. 

This addresses one of the persistent challenges in BIM coordination: maintaining data fidelity and workflow continuity between different software environments. Connected clients promise to eliminate the typical data translation issues that can introduce errors during model exchanges. 

Forma at the Center of AECO Transformation 

A Unified Industry Cloud 

One of the most significant announcements was the evolution of Autodesk Forma into a comprehensive AECO industry cloud, with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) being integrated directly into Forma. This creates a bridge between design and construction workflows that has long been a source of coordination challenges. 

Autodesk Docs is being renamed to Forma Data Management and will serve as the official common data environment for Forma, centralizing AECO project data for better collaboration. For teams managing complex coordination workflows, this centralization addresses the challenge of maintaining single sources of truth across project phases.

New Capabilities for Building Design 

Forma Building Design was introduced as a beta solution that combines easy-to-use modeling tools, generative AI, and real-time analysis to cater to users of all skill levels. This cloud-based solution can create BIM models at LOD200/300 detail, positioning it as a bridge between conceptual design and detailed BIM development. 

Meanwhile, the current Autodesk Forma solution for early-stage planning will be rebranded to Forma Site Design, clarifying the product ecosystem and workflow progression. 

Sustainability & Resilience: Design with Impact 

AU2025 reinforced that environmental analysis and sustainable design aren’t optional add-ons—they’re core to project success. Autodesk Forma empowers users with real-world contextual data and real-time environmental impact analysis, including wind, solar, daylight, embodied carbon, and so on, allowing users to optimize designs for living quality and sustainability. 

This integration of environmental analysis directly into design workflows enables teams to make informed decisions about building performance from the earliest design phases. Rather than retrofitting sustainability considerations, teams can design with intent from day one. 

What This Means for BIM & Coordination Practices 

Implications for VDC and Coordination Teams 

The developments announced at AU2025 have direct implications for how BIM and VDC teams approach project coordination: 

Enhanced Data Continuity: The connection between Autodesk Forma and Autodesk Construction Cloud introduces new functionalities that complement existing capabilities, fostering improved collaboration and transparency throughout the AECO lifecycle. This reduces the typical handoff friction between design and construction phases. 

AI-Augmented Coordination: With Autodesk Assistant providing contextual intelligence that “surfaces the insight before you even ask” and “helps you find a better path,” coordination teams can expect more intelligent conflict identification—not just geometric clashes, but contextual understanding of design intent and constructability issues. 

Unified Project Environments: Bringing every stakeholder into one cloud platform closes handoff gaps, resolves issues early, and cuts delays and risk across the project. As the video demonstrates, this enables engineers to “make smarter products,” contractors to “minimize risk in real time,” and teams to “create without friction to deliver faster.” 

Real-World Implementation 

The team supporting Denver International Airport used Forma, along with tools in the AEC Collection like Revit, Civil 3D, and digital twin solution Tandem, to renovate one of the busiest airports in the US without shutting it down. By leveraging this end-to-end workflow, over 400 contractors and subcontractors collaborated in one central experience from design through construction. 

This demonstrates the practical benefits of unified, cloud-based coordination platforms for complex, multi-stakeholder projects—exactly the type of challenging coordination scenarios where experienced BIM teams create the most value. 

The Path Forward 

AU2025’s announcements point toward several key trends that will shape BIM and coordination practices: 

• From Files to Data: The shift from traditional file-based workflows to granular, connected data models 
• AI as a Coordination Partner: Intelligent systems that understand design intent and can proactively identify issues 
• Cloud-First Collaboration: Unified platforms that eliminate the traditional barriers between design, construction, and operations teams 
• Outcome-Based BIM: Focus shifting from model creation to measurable project outcomes and performance 

The vision presented at AU2025 aligns closely with what sophisticated BIM coordination has always aimed to achieve: seamless information flow, proactive issue resolution, and collaborative decision-making based on accurate, up-to-date project data. 

As these platforms mature and become more accessible, the competitive advantage will increasingly belong to teams who can leverage these connected workflows most effectively—teams who understand not just the technology, but how to orchestrate it to deliver better project outcomes. 

At BSPK, we translate these global trends into actionable workflows for BIM and VDC. The future outlined at AU2025 isn’t just about new software—it’s about new ways of working that amplify the coordination expertise and process knowledge that make projects successful. Explore how we can help your projects adopt the lessons from AU2025 and implement the connected, data-driven workflows that are becoming essential for competitive project delivery.