NXT DEV 2025

A view from Wall Street

Predicting the future of design technology can be hard. Even when the past cycle of new code, to legacy, to the birth of next generation code has a clear multi-decade history. Today’s BIM is typically a monolithic, desktop-bound application, designed to take the process from massing to drawings. Cloud, AI, Open Source and rethinking the workflow will mean the death of BIM as we currently know it. AI may seem over-hyped but its impact will change nearly everything in the industry over the next 10 years.

From established software vendors to rising startups, the infrastructure sector is rethinking how emerging technology will address short-term challenges and transform long-term business strategies. Everyone needs data to perform critical tasks, discover new insights, leverage AI, and develop new solutions. However, infrastructure data must be usable, accessible, and current for decades. In the battle for BIM 2.0, selecting the right technologies, harnessing composable tools, and building innovative solutions has become a critical business decision that will have data management ramifications for decades to come.

In this session, Bentley Systems CTO Julien Moutte will discuss how open standards and truly open platforms will help software users and developers avoid vendor lock-in, ensure data interoperability, build a diverse vendor ecosystem, and prepare for the future. He will also share how design applications, geospatial context, composable tools, and cloud capabilities can work together to power innovation and better outcomes across the infrastructure lifecycle.

Despite the progress made in design computation with BIM and generative components, our industry continues to grapple with fragmented workflows and proprietary data formats.

Al Fisher will provide an update on BHoM (Building and Habitats object Model), the open-source framework used by Buro Happold to support its firm-wide design computation and digital collaboration. He will present the BHoM's unique federated object model, its emphasis on composability, extensibility, and "no black boxes" transparency, and how it is used at scale in a large engineering practice.

Robert Aish will present the progress made in the field of Design Computation and a new generation of Design Languages: the successors to Design Script and Generative Components. He will position the BHoM frameworks within that journey, and how they enable more abstract design representations, which in turn allow the creation of derivative design representations that can be more coordinated, collaborative, and composable.

As a wrap-up, Alain Waha will summarise the BHoM framework's potential to unlock advanced AI-driven design processes and address critical industry challenges, from achieving Net Zero to industrialising construction.

Social structure and human behaviour considerations on the Future AEC Software Specification path
Digital is not tools but strategy, organisational and cultural change. As a socio-techno system the adaptation of new tools requires any architecture, design or engineering (ADE) firm to consider a change management system to emphasizes that technology is embedded within and shapes social structures and human behaviour. It is more then simply transition from an incumbent software vendor to another. In our research we work in an industry academic nexus on a comprehensive approach to assist firms in their transition to a future AEC software ecosystem.

In this session, Volker will discuss how the built environment can develop Data & AI as an opportunity for its people and enabled by advanced technology. He will reference the approach taken by 40 architectural firms with 20,000 staff and $7bn revenue (https://idc-aec.com).

The AEC industry is shifting from AI curiosity to AI action — and early adopters are already gaining ground. In March NVIDIA held its annual GTC conference, featuring participation from Autodesk, Bentley, Nemetschek, Esri, Trimble, Hexagon, HOK, Zaha Hadid Architects, Caltrans, and other industry leaders. This session will recap the key insights from these sessions, plus provide an overview of the cutting-edge AI innovations from NVIDIA that will help you accelerate your AI efforts. The NVIDIA technologies we will cover include DGX Spark and DGX Station for AI development, plus associated AI software including NIM and Blueprints, NeMo, and Physical AI innovations like Cosmos and Gr00t. Whether you’re building tools as an ISV or developing workflows in-house, this session will help you understand what’s possible, what’s next — and why now is the time to move.

We are now seeing the delivery of autodrawing technology in CAD applications. The early capabilities will be useful and focussed on less detailed drawings, but this is just the start of a journey and even the ones commercially available are not really using deep AI.

Grabert is first to market, Qonic is showing what it means in the context of models and EvolveLabs (now part of Chaos) has Glyph, which sits inside of Revit. Meanwhile, HOK’s Greg Schleusner has been relentlessly pursuing this capability from design tool developers and is just starting to see his dreams come true. Join us in find out what’s possible and what’s coming next.

Panelists
Aaron Perry // Qonic
Robert Gräbert // Gräbert
Greg Schleusner // HOK
Bill Allen // Chaos

Moderator
Martyn Day // AEC Magazine

When you sign up to user agreements and AI tool agreements, do you read all the terms? Do you assume everything you’re told is in the contract? Do you really know what you signed up to? May takes a practical look at potential and noteworthy issues of common key terms in EULAs and AI tool agreements.

Martha Tsigkari, Oscar Borgstrom and Wojciech Karnowka will present Cyclops; an environmental analysis plugin for Grasshopper in Rhino 3D developed by Foster + Partners. Cyclops significantly accelerates raytracing-based simulations by leveraging state-of-the-art GPU computing.

.

We have created a new open BIM format. We didn't want to do it, but we had to. Now we can convert 2GB IFC files to 80 megabyte .frag files, open them in 5 seconds from a mobile phone and edit them natively. In this talk we are going to tell how, why, and the doors this opens for the industry.

.

.

Spacio AI is pioneering a new era of architectural design by acting as a “spellchecker for architecture.” The platform empowers architects to create compliant, sustainable, and cost-effective buildings faster than ever before. By integrating real-time regulation checks, intelligent layout generation, and proactive error detection, Spacio dramatically reduces costly design mistakes and streamlines the early stages of building design.

In this session, we’ll showcase how Howie is transforming knowledge access and risk management across AEC firms by using proprietary AI algorithms. You’ll see how Howie integrates with your company’s construction and real estate data, making it instantly searchable, contextual, and conversational. Whether you're looking for past project details, compliance documentation, or technical specifications, Howie lets your team “talk to your building data” and find answers in seconds.

We are thrilled to launch our new AI-assisted App Builder during this session! With the App Builder, you can turn an idea into a working app in minutes. Attendees will get a front-row view of how AEC apps can be created with just a few prompts and combined in an automated engineering workflow.

Frank Schuijer shares his journey from desktop software to SaaS innovation at Xinaps, where he developed a groundbreaking cloud-based model checker—culminating in Xinaps’ exit to Solibri in 2024. Get an inside look at what it takes to build (and scale) transformative AEC tools for the cloud era.

The future of the industry is not only going to be about tech. As always, it is also going to be about people. BIM 2.0, however its form or fashion, is going to involve a massively larger group of people than its predecessor. The people who come into our community are going to need a different workflows and information than what old BIM catered for. They are not going to load models on desktop software and poke around in bad data. They will expect prepared online and updated work packages of high-quality information coming from a combination of model and non-model data. They will expect interactive economic and risk information, and live sustainability decision making material at their fingertips. Håvard Vasshaug, an award-winning speaker, founder of Reope and CEO of AnkerDB, shares his vision for BIM 2.0 and how it can drastically increase its impact. If done right.

From Trepid to Intrepid: How I conquered my fear of large point clouds with strategic planning and a very small flashlight!

Irene Radcliffe was part of a team that set about scanning the WWII aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid. Hopefully she will have one of the new Faro Blink scanners on hand

Even the best BIM models still hit a bottleneck when it’s time to ship clean drawing sets. Token licensing inflates costs, and exporting DWGs often means hours of post-processing. Graebert’s multi-platform ARES engine—desktop, mobile and browser-native ARES Kudo—now adds Autodrawings: one-click, standards-compliant DWG sheets generated directly from IFC or Revit and refreshed automatically in the cloud. Open file formats, a headless API, and live integrations from Snaptrude and Qonic give architects, owners and software vendors a way to cut drawing production time, enforce company standards and slash “occasional-user” spend—without locking data into yet another proprietary platform.

The construction documentation phase is traditionally one of the most labor-intensive steps in the design process, but AI is changing that. In this session, we’ll explore how Glyph, an AI-powered tool, is automating and streamlining the creation of construction documents. You’ll see how large language models (LLMs) and generative AI techniques are being applied to interpret models, generate construction documents, and reduce manual drafting effort.

Surveying and real-world capture have gone through huge changes in the last five years. Laser scanning has got faster and more mobile and we have SPOT the robot dog. Photogrammetry has increased in accuracy to rival laser scans. Now we have Gaussian Splats to bring new capabilities to reality capture. With AI being used to deliver unassisted scan to BIM, where is this industry going next?

Panelists
Irene Radcliffe // Faro
Yoshiharu Sato // Waldek Technologies
Julien Moutte // Bentley Systems

Moderator
Robert Klaschka // EvrBilt

AEC workflows are evolving rapidly, making high-performance workstations more critical than ever. In this panel discussion, experts from leading AEC firms and technology providers will explore key topics shaping the future of the industry — from AI adoption to sustainability.

As AI continues to gain traction, firms must consider how to scale their compute infrastructure — balancing desktop, mobile, datacentre, and cloud.

At the same time, rising performance demands bring increased energy consumption. How can firms unlock the full potential of AI, visualisation and other demanding workflows while keeping sustainability in focus?

Panelists
- Chris Ruffo // Lenovo
- Nick Cameron // Perkins&Will
- Jeff Mottle // NVIDIA
- Greg Schleusner // HOK
- Owen Welsh // Intel

Moderator
- Greg Corke // AEC Magazine / NXT BLD

Panelists
Arcol // Mike Buss
Autodesk // Sasha Crotty
Hypar // Ian Keough
Motif // Matt Jezyk
Qonic // Aaron Perry
Snaptrude // Altaf Ganihar

Moderator
Martyn Day // AEC Magazine & NXT BLD

Delegates must register separately for this event.
REGISTER HERE

An engaging panel discussion convened and moderated by Buro Happold, where industry leaders will share their perspectives on the needs of our industry, and how the BHoM framework enables their vision.

The panel features:

- Matt Jezyk, Vice President Product, Motif
- Altaf Ganihar, CEO & Founder, Snaptrude
- David Flynn, CEO, KOPE.AI
- Andy Watts, Head of Design Technology, Grimshaw, and Co-Author of Future AEC Software Specification
- Julien Moutte, Chief Technology Officer, Bentley Systems

A key focus will include increasing demand for composable design tools and connected workflows, as these are becoming essential components for driving innovation and efficiency in the digital design process.