How AI in Architecture Is Shaping the Future of Design & Construction

AI is transforming architectural practices worldwide by optimizing designs, enhancing sustainability, and improving project management. This section shows how innovative firms use AI to create efficient, sustainable, modern designs, showcasing the diverse and impactful ways AI is shaping the future of architecture.

1. Revolutionizing early stage planning with AI at Patriarche

Patriarche, a multidisciplinary architecture firm, has transformed its early-stage urban planning by adopting Autodesk Forma. Traditional software was too slow for initial project phases, so Forma’s AI-powered capabilities helped reduce the time for volume studies from two days to just 1.5 hours, allowing the team to focus on more complex design elements.

Forma’s iterative design approach and real-time data comparisons improved decision-making and collaboration, with its cloud-based platform enabling efficient teamwork both in-office and remotely. Its seamless integration with other tools and environmental planning features, such as bio-climatic analysis, aligned perfectly with Patriarche’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, making Forma an essential tool for their projects.

2. Reducing carbon impact with AI: Stantec’s use of Autodesk Forma

Stantec, a global leader in design and engineering, is using AI-powered tools to tackle the challenge of reducing building carbon impact. Traditionally, carbon calculations occur too late in the design process to allow for significant changes. Mike DeOrsey, Digital Practice Manager at Stantec, explains how Autodesk Forma’s embodied carbon tool shifts this dynamic by enabling early-stage carbon analysis, allowing the team to make informed design adjustments when they have the most impact.

With Forma’s AI-driven real-time feedback, Stantec can now assess carbon implications during design, improving efficiency and sustainability. This shift helps reduce the built environment’s carbon footprint and enhances project quality by freeing up time for higher-value tasks. Forma is proving essential in achieving Stantec’s sustainability goals and demonstrating the powerful role of AI in architecture design.

3. The Phoenix: transforming housing and sustainability with AI and Autodesk technology

In West Oakland, the vacant Phoenix Ironworks Steel Factory site is being transformed into The Phoenix, a 316-unit affordable and sustainable housing complex. Leveraging Autodesk’s Design and Make Platform, architects, engineers, and builders are using AI-powered insights to create housing at half the cost, time, and carbon footprint of typical Bay Area multi-family buildings.

MBH Architects used Autodesk Forma to explore design options, optimizing cost, carbon, and livability in real-time. AI-enabled rapid iteration reduced design time from two weeks to just six hours. Factory_OS further accelerated the project with modular construction, assembling housing units in two weeks instead of a year. Innovative, carbon-negative facade materials also cut embodied carbon and construction time. The Phoenix’s success is setting a new standard for affordable, sustainable housing, with scalable processes that can be applied globally.

4. AFRY transforms early-stage planning with AI-powered Autodesk Forma

AFRY, one of Europe’s largest engineering firms, was tasked with developing a residential complex in Gothenburg’s Fjällbogatan neighborhood while addressing environmental risks like flooding. Using Autodesk Forma, AFRY quickly created interactive 3D models, enabling the team to evaluate multiple design iterations and balance environmental and commercial factors much earlier than traditional methods. This approach helped mitigate flood risks and increased the development’s capacity from 100 to 108 apartments without compromising architectural vision or investment potential.

Forma’s cloud-based tools allowed AFRY to simulate real-world impacts—such as wind, noise, and solar shading—on proposed designs, accelerating decision-making and ensuring compliance with local regulations. The tool’s efficiency also improved stakeholder communication, leading to swift project approval. AFRY’s use of AI-driven design in the Fjällbogatan project highlights how AI in architecture can enhance efficiency, reduce risks, and unlock new opportunities in urban development.

5. ARCO transforms challenging site into landmark student housing with AI-powered Autodesk Forma

ARCO Architecture Company, Finland’s largest firm, is designing an eight-story student housing complex in Malmi, Helsinki, on a site facing significant noise and urban challenges. Using Autodesk Forma, ARCO optimized the building’s design, creating a closed circular volume to shield the inner courtyard from noise while ensuring apartments face quieter, well-lit spaces. Forma’s real-time analysis enabled the addition of two extra floors without compromising daylight or livability.

Forma’s ability to import 3D models and perform daylight and noise analyses helped ARCO optimize building performance, reallocating less-favorable units for services and enhancing the courtyard’s sun exposure. The tool’s data-driven workflow allowed for real-time comparisons of design options, improving decision-making and communication with stakeholders. Using Forma, ARCO transformed a challenging site into a sustainable, livable student housing complex that integrates seamlessly with the urban landscape.