As we move into 2025, we ask five leading AEC software developers to share their observations and projections for BIM 2.0
Embracing AI and Boosting Sustainability Across Project Lifecycles
Daniel Csillag, CEO, Graphisoft
Our mission at Graphisoft has always been to empower architects with the tools they need to bring their visions to life. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, I am more excited than ever about the transformative impact of emerging technologies like AI, BIM, and cloud-based collaboration. These innovations will reshape how design teams work, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
One of the most thrilling changes on the horizon is the growing influence of AI in architecture. We’re already seeing the early signs of this shift, and it’s clear that we’re just scratching the surface. The first wave of AI tools and capabilities that have emerged have introduced inspiring and time-saving capabilities — helping designers generate and refine initial concepts quickly or automate repetitive tasks. AI concept visualisers are already being used in practice. Capabilities like automated drawings are predicted to augment creative workflows by automatically completing repeatable tasks with increasing accuracy and quality. Through beta releases followed by full product integration, teams have used these first use cases to stress test AI development layers.
In the short term, I expect to see more sophisticated AI capabilities built on such layers emerge en masse, both as standalone tools and integrated solutions that tap into existing data repositories, enhancing everything from design to analysis.
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Zooming out even further, we will also see AI agents evolve. More than an automation engine for repetitive tasks, the vision for AI agents is to act autonomously, proactively interact, solve problems, and execute more complex workflows.
Imagine that you have a project that is far along in the design and refinement stage – suddenly, as it inevitably does, a new development necessitates a change in the original design. An AI agent will be able to lead that change from the original file across all affected assets and communication touchpoints automatically, eliminating all the manual redrawing, communication, and quality assurance checks that later-stage design changes usually require. A mature version of this vision will have the power to disrupt the whole construction value chain, and it’s one of the most exciting emerging trends to keep an eye on.
We can expect AI capabilities to be applied to sustainability problems, another industry topic that has grown in urgency. AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data offers architects the chance to make informed decisions early in the design process, supporting more efficient, more environmentally conscious design results. It’s this front of the technology that will effectively impact the 50% of global carbon emissions that buildings are responsible for. And it’s in this direction that we’ll see the technology take as data-driven design begins to inform initial concepts with climate, location, light, and other variables to shape the design essence of projects.
With the power of data-driven scenario building capabilities, designers and clients can explore new project opportunities in greater detail and research multiple models in reuse and refurbishment projects. Well-known design challenges, such as how to repurpose large sports arenas or shopping centres, will benefit from value-driven evaluations supported by simulations that factor in the surrounding environment.
Applying insights using historical data from similar projects will also fuel sustainability efforts. Compounded learnings from hundreds of thousands of buildings become valuable data points for intelligent design systems. With the help of AI, architects can tap into this historical data to optimise future buildings, enhance energy efficiency, cut down on waste, and reduce environmental impact. By learning from past successes, we can make smarter decisions and avoid repeating the same mistakes. Further along the project lifecycle, the intelligent application of historical data will augment the power of digital twins to support even more sustainable and efficient facilities management.
Collaboration is another area undergoing rapid changes. Remote and hybrid teamwork solutions boosted in the past years have continued to evolve. Cloud-based platforms like BIMcloud are revolutionising how design teams work together, connecting teammates in different cities in real time and setting the stage for more agile collaboration. The result is teams that are more dispersed yet also more aligned, increasingly efficient project cycles, higher accuracy rates, and a better-built environment.
Client relationships will also change. As AI advances solve previous rework and time constraint challenges, the emphasis will shift to maintaining tighter communication with clients from concept to handover. Educating and onboarding stakeholders can maximise technological gains but also requires a new collaborative mindset and fluency with shared communication infrastructure.
In dispersed, cross-cultural environments, seeing is believing. Mobile, device-agnostic viewing and collaboration tools bridge teams at various stages of the project lifecycle, significantly reducing errors and inefficient rework. By keeping stakeholders on the same page using a shared visual language, communication barriers dissolve and the stage is set for more creative input to fuel the design. As ideas and concepts are communicated more clearly with the aid of translation and collaborative design tools, AI and different stakeholders are better poised to explore unique building design ideas, merging the ‘best of both (or more) worlds,’ fusing solutions from different regions to create sustainable and fascinating results.
To see the benefits of visual collaboration in the long term, design directors need to select the right tools for the right job. At Graphisoft, we emphasise continuity in all our products, ensuring they remain relevant. In addition to ensuring compatibility with all operating systems and design platforms, future-proof products can integrate emerging technology into a seamless user experience. Curating a value-driven toolset — versus a tech-driven one — is essential to capturing the benefits of visual, data-driven collaboration.
As we look ahead to the next three to five years in the industry, it’s worthwhile to look back first. The volatility disrupted supply chains, and remote work scramble of previous years have created a stronger sense of resilience and confidence in the industry. In many ways, this has been a turning point, and I believe that one of the most critical investments companies can make is in continuous training for their employees.
We view AI as a tool to extend human ingenuity, not replace it. As with any set of tools, using it correctly will require a set of skills, especially as use cases and individual tools mature and grow in complexity. The opportunities that autonomous and intelligent design present are only beginning to emerge, and this is the time to get in ‘on the ground floor.’ Just as we invest in the continuity of our products and services, leaders should also invest in their teams and hone skillsets that keep pace with these exciting technical developments.
The future of architecture is incredibly exciting, and I do not doubt that with the right tools, training, and mindset, we can create a built environment that is not only more efficient and sustainable but also more aligned with the needs of tomorrow. This is our chance to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world.
Read more opinions
The Future of BIM: Harnessing the Power of Data
Amy Bunszel, executive VP of AEC Solutions, Autodesk
AI: Our Generation’s Paradigm Shift
Tom Kurke, VP, Ecosystems & Venture, Bentley Systems
Unlocking the Future of BIM with Interoperability
Mark Schwartz, SVP, Trimble
Design transformed: 2025 predictions from Vectorworks
Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CEO, Vectorworks
