"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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Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

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