Autodesk Forma Evolves with Real-World GIS and Construction Cloud Integration

2:23 am UTC June 5, 2025 Jun 5, 2025 | by: Autodesk, Inc. | Architecture

(Photo by: Autodesk, Inc.)

At the AIA25 Conference on Architecture & Design in Boston, Autodesk is unveiling a major evolution of its Forma platform. The latest available updates introduce deeper integration with geospatial data from Esri and tighter alignment with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), enabling architecture, engineering, and construction professionals to accelerate early planning, design more intelligently, and collaborate seamlessly throughout the project lifecycle.

Autodesk Forma Enhances Design Intelligence with New GIS and ACC Capabilities

Autodesk has released new capabilities for its Forma industry cloud, emphasizing tighter integration between site intelligence and digital construction workflows. Announced during AIA25 in Boston, these updates represent a significant step forward in bridging schematic design with downstream construction execution—an increasingly critical challenge in modern AECO (architecture, engineering, construction, and operations) projects.

Spatial Context from Esri Now Embedded in Forma

Users can now incorporate geographic data directly into their design workflows through the new beta release of ArcGIS for Autodesk Forma, available via the Autodesk App Store. This means that architects and planners can access zoning boundaries, infrastructure layouts, and environmental overlays early in the process, allowing designs to reflect real-world spatial constraints from the outset. The ability to natively overlay Esri’s geospatial data within Forma has the potential to minimize design rework and enhance early-stage analysis. Kathleen Kewley, director of AEC global business development at Esri, emphasized the operational efficiency benefits:

“This will improve operational efficiency and drive better business outcomes by bringing Esri’s rich data collection into Autodesk Forma.”

Dana Chermesh-Reshef, CEO of inCitu, highlighted the integration's user accessibility: “ArcGIS for Autodesk Forma’s interface is easy to use and responsive, while accessing data is intuitive for AECO professionals with limited to no GIS experience.”

The full release of the ArcGIS integration is slated for later this month.

Seamless Workflow Handoffs Between Design and Construction

Autodesk also advances Forma’s role in the broader construction technology stack through expanded integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud. Over the next few months, Forma will become directly accessible as a module within ACC, giving users unified access to early design tools and construction management capabilities.

This marks an essential step in breaking down the silos between conceptual design and execution. With Forma and ACC sharing a common navigation layer, users can shift between schematic modeling and project coordination tools without leaving the platform ecosystem. This integration extends to centralized user and project management, streamlining permissions and reducing duplicate administrative overhead. The collaboration platform Forma Board continues to serve as a central hub for bringing data and stakeholders together. Combined with broader access to Autodesk Docs, this creates a more robust, end-to-end environment for AECO teams.

Páraic Walsh of Gray Puksand reflected on the practical value of the toolset: “Forma’s intuitive conceptual tools allow for initial design exploration without detailed modelling and integrate seamlessly with Revit, Rhino, and SketchUp for smooth progression to later stages.”

Data-Driven Design on the Rise

A key focus of these updates is helping AECO professionals extract more value from data. Autodesk’s 2025 State of Design & Make report indicates that digital transformation efforts yield significant ROI, often surpassing 50%. In response, Forma enables easier access to high-quality datasets through the enhanced Forma Data Marketplace. GeoData, a leading GIS provider, will soon offer Norway-specific building datasets through the marketplace, with additional providers expected to follow. These enriched datasets allow firms to simulate outcomes more accurately and ground their design decisions in an empirical context. In parallel, a new connection with Finch, an AI-powered layout generation tool, links Forma’s contextual site analysis features with automatic BIM-ready layout creation. This integration helps eliminate a longstanding gap between early site modeling and detailed architectural planning.

Looking Ahead

Attendees of AIA25 can see the latest updates firsthand at Autodesk’s booth (#2162) at the Boston Convention Center through June 7. For those in Europe, Autodesk will also showcase Forma at NXT BLD 2025 in London (June 11–12, Stand #19). To stay ahead of future developments, professionals are invited to sign up for the Forma building design tech preview waitlist, which promises early access to the next generation of digital design tools.