Carl Christensen
Forma Site Design, available in the AEC Collection or as a standalone subscription, offers powerful AI-powered tools for architects and designers in pre-design and schematic design phases.
Carl Christensen is Vice President, Product at Autodesk
As we kick off 2026, there’s a lot to be excited about—and it all builds on the progress we made last year in shaping the Forma Industry Cloud. 2025 was very much about connecting the pieces and laying the groundwork for AECO’s first end-to-end industry cloud.
At Autodesk University, we shared important milestones along that journey, including Forma Data Management, Autodesk Construction Cloud joining Forma, and the introduction of Forma Connected Clients which brings Autodesk’s established design tools into the Forma Industry Cloud. Revit is first, enabling seamless movement between Forma and Revit with shared data, access to Forma’s analysis tools, and marketplace integrations such as Esri’s ArcGIS. At this year’s AU, there’s even more to come.
AU25 itself was full of highlights. Seeing the live Forma demo on main stage was a proud moment, personally. I know how much work the team put into making that happen—and they absolutely nailed it. The AECO Design Slam was another standout, where our community pushed the boundaries of Forma Site Design live on stage with so much energy, creativity, and enthusiasm.
Another highlight was Stantec’s Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Hospital customer story. Watching how the Stantec team used Forma Site Design to guide decisions around sustainability and patient wellbeing was a reminder of why we do what we do; helping teams make informed, early decisions that benefit people’s lives is at the heart of what Forma is about.
Forma’s impact continues to grow, with projects starting in Forma every day, from housing and stadiums to schools, factories, and more. Across Forma Site Design, sun hours analysis was the most popular analysis of 2025. It shows us how important passive design strategies remain to designing better built environments. It’s rewarding to see how much architects value this analysis—whether it’s to bring more sun into homes in colder climates or to create shade in the tropics.
We were proud to receive industry recognition with Forma Site Design being named a winner in the 2025 Architectural Record Best Architectural Products of the Year. Selected by an independent jury and the Architectural Record team, the jury noted that “Forma Site Design is overhauling early-stage design through cloud-based collaboration and integrated workflows.”
A big milestone for 2026 is the upcoming launch of Forma Building Design. This is something we’ve been working toward for a long time, and I’m excited for architects to try modeling detailed buildings using an easier tool. For those interested in getting access early, the waitlist is already open.
Looking ahead to 2026, we see some shifts shaping how architecture firms work.
1. More firms see the strategic value in frontloading knowledge, using data to inform big-picture decisions early—data becomes creative input, not just a reporting tool.
2. AI continues to move from experimentation into everyday workflows, helping teams explore more options, flag issues earlier, and reduce repetitive work.
3. Firms want more in-house sustainability expertise and they’re empowering designers with accessible analysis tools, while investing in skills that help attract and retain top talent.
All of this progress would not be possible without the Forma community – I want to extend a big thank you to our community for their continued support and valuable feedback that shapes everything we build. And finally, thank you to the Forma team. This progress reflects a lot of hard work—across time zones, Zoom/Teams calls, and many wins, both big and small, along the way. Building an industry cloud isn’t easy, and this huge achievement is thanks to the talented people behind it. I’m proud of this team, and excited for what we’ll build together in 2026 as we continue working toward a more connected AECO industry.