"The industry is fundamentally incapable of change because there are so many interconnected problems."
That's what Carl Christensen realized when he first looked at construction from the outside.
In today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Carl Christensen, co-founder of Spacemaker (acquired by Autodesk), and we got to learn about why the AEC industry struggles with digital transformation, how outcome-based design can break through systemic barriers, and what it really takes to sell your company... and many more!
Tune in to find out about:
✅ Why designers make critical decisions early without the information they need
✅ How AI-powered simulations can predict sunlight, noise, and wind impacts in seconds
✅ The real story behind the Autodesk acquisition and why cultural alignment mattered most
✅ What Forma Building Design is doing to bridge the gap between sketch and detailed BIM
Watch now to hear how Carl’s team turned systemic problems into a successful exit and what they're building next at Autodesk.
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Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:35 The Journey of Spacemaker: Founding and Vision
16:02 AI in AEC: Transforming Design and Collaboration
24:19 Autodesk Acquisition: The Value of Spacemaker
29:07 Future of AI in AEC: Insights and Predictions
36:21 Translating AI into Reality
42:38 Measuring AI Value in Design
45:15 The Evolution of Forma
54:10 Advice for AEC Product Builders
58:30 Navigating Acquisition Processes
01:07:46 Reflections on Building Spacemaker