1. If I started an Architecture practice today, here’s the AI Tech Stack I would use…

If I were starting an architecture practice from scratch in 2025, I wouldn’t reach for the same tools that have been around for decades. I’m talking about the legacy software that dominates most studios; AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, ArchiCAD. They were game-changing in their time, but let’s be honest: they were all developed before the smartphone, cloud, or AI even existed. They weren’t built for the workflows or expectations of today’s architects, let alone tomorrow’s.

The truth is, you don’t need a bloated suite of disconnected tools to run a modern design practice. You don’t need Revit just to get a project off the ground. You need a tech stack that speaks to each other, automates the boring bits, and supercharges creativity, especially in the critical early stages of design.

That’s why, after assessing over 1,600 software tools through the ADDD Marketplace and working closely with hundreds of architecture and ConTech firms, I’ve put together what I believe is the ideal early-stage AI-powered design stack. This stack is lean, connected, cloud-native, and already in use by the most forward-thinking practices I know.

Here’s my 2025 Early Stage Design AI Tech Stack:

1. Giraffe – Instantly sketch site concepts, test feasibility, and assess yields.

2. Snaptrude – Generate real-time massing studies and area schedules.

3. Finch3D – Optimise internal layouts automatically based on key constraints.

4. Rhino – For flexible 3D modelling and detailed façade exploration.

5. Rayon – To create elegant 2D diagrams and detailed plans, all online.

6. xFigura – Turn models into beautiful renders in seconds using AI.

7. Infrared.city – Quickly assess energy and carbon impacts at concept stage.

8. Motif – Share visual boards with clients and collaborate on mood and intent.

9. Cogram – Let AI take meeting notes and generate polished Request for Proposals (RfP) responses.

10. Tektome – Build a reusable, searchable design knowledge base for your team.

11. Speckle – Connect your tools and teams, enabling seamless data exchange.

Each tool here has a clear job. Together, they create a workflow that moves effortlessly from site selection to massing, modelling, sustainability checks, visualisation, and client collaboration, with AI helping at every step.

These tools are being used today by agile, design-led practices that want to move faster, deliver more value, and stay ahead of the curve. And unlike traditional software stacks, these tools are cloud-native, meaning collaboration is built in. Most are browser-based, making them accessible from anywhere. Many offer AI capabilities that save hours on repetitive tasks.

👉 Want to see this stack in action? Check out the ADDD Marketplace or view my LinkedIn carousel where I break down each tool and show how they fit together in a real workflow.

2. Top 5 signs your company needs a AI Ready Tech Plan to future-proof your practice:

✅ Hardware – Are your machines and devices keeping up with the demands of modern tools?

✅ Infrastructure – Is your network, storage, and cloud setup fit for distributed, secure collaboration?

✅ Software – Are you using the right mix of applications or drowning in overlapping subscriptions?

✅ Processes and Workflows – Do your tools actually support the way you work, or do they force bad habits?

✅ AI – Are you starting to integrate AI where it makes sense or missing easy wins?

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many firms wait until it’s painful to tackle these issues but you don’t have to.

If this resonates then I would love to connect and find out more:

3. Architizer Article published last week!

BIM 2.0: Architectural Design’s Overdue Revolution

Delighted to have an article published in Architizer last week focussing on BIM 2.0 and Generative Design tools. I have summarised this below, but you can read the whole piece here: BIM 2.0: Architectural Design's Overdue Revolution - Architizer Journal

Why Are We Still Using Software from the Last Century?

In an era where AI, automation, and cloud-native tools are reshaping every major industry, architecture remains tethered to legacy software. Most firms still rely on platforms like AutoCAD (1982), ArchiCAD (1987), Revit (1997), Rhino (1998), SketchUp (2000), and Vectorworks (2001), all developed before smartphones, cloud computing, or generative AI were even imagined. These outdated tools force today’s digitally fluent architects into workflows that are slow, siloed, and increasingly unfit for purpose.

The good news? A new wave of platforms under the banner of BIM 2.0 is here, challenging old paradigms and reimagining how early-stage design is done.

The Catalyst for Change

The need for change isn’t new, but it’s now urgent. In 2023, AEC Magazine compared the current software stagnation to a dinosaur extinction event. This was reinforced by the industry’s “Letter to Autodesk,” a public outcry against rising costs and stalled innovation in tools like Revit. These moments catalysed the creation of the Future AEC Software Specification (FASS), a framework outlining what next-generation software must deliver: cloud-first access, real-time collaboration, flexible data workflows, and AI integration.

Meet the BIM 2.0 Tools

Today’s emerging platforms align with these FASS principles. They are lean, focused, and designed for the way architects actually work in the early design stages:

• Arcol – A cloud-based tool simplifying early collaboration across teams.

• Hypar – Generates layouts and space planning using AI and data.

• Snaptrude – Delivers real-time design, data capture, and Revit sync.

• Motif – Enables fast visual collaboration with an ambitious roadmap.

• Rayon – Makes 2D planning collaborative, rapid, and browser-based.

• Qonic – Offers fast, intuitive BIM authoring without unnecessary complexity.

These tools aren’t just marginal improvements, they’re working from the ground up to replace outdated design systems. Most are already integrating directly into platforms like Revit, Rhino, and ArchiCAD to enable continuity of design and data.

Generative Design: The Missing Puzzle Piece?

Generative Design, using algorithms to rapidly explore design options, complements BIM 2.0 perfectly. Instead of manually iterating three or four options, architects can now define design goals (like unit mix, height limits, or solar access) and let the software explore thousands of viable outcomes. This accelerates feasibility studies and unlocks faster, smarter decisions early in the process.

Tools like TestFit, Laiout, and Spacio integrate these capabilities, offering AI-driven ideation directly within modelling environments. These aren’t replacing architects, they’re expanding their creative reach.

The Case for Adoption

Together, BIM 2.0 and Generative Design create a new model for early-stage design, faster, more iterative, and deeply collaborative. No more choosing between SketchUp for speed or Revit for data. Now, architects can do both, better.

The benefits are clear:

• Creativity Unleashed: Rapid iteration and data-driven insight.

• Collaboration Built-In: Real-time teamwork across platforms.

• Sustainability by Default: Early feedback on performance metrics.

• Competitive Edge: Faster feasibility = better chances of winning work.

• Affordable Access: These tools are priced to encourage experimentation.

Conclusion: The Revolution Has Begun

BIM 2.0 isn’t a trend—it’s a necessary correction. For decades, architectural software has lagged behind the demands of practice. Now, with cloud-native platforms, AI-infused tools, and open connectivity, we finally have a future-facing alternative.

The architects who embrace this shift today won’t just work more efficiently—they’ll lead the next generation of design innovation. It’s time to move on from 20th-century tools and build a profession that’s ready for the 21st.

4. New Roles in ConTech roles shared last week 

Here are the best 10 roles to help you move into ConTech

In the last two weeks I have seen massive growth of career opportunities in ConTech, I think that this shows technology companies are doubling down on expansion and growth.

Top 10 companies on the AEC Tech Jobs board;

1. Bjarke Ingels Group - BIM Specialist

2. Disperse - Site scanning, Construction Site Operations and more

3. Archipelago - Senior DevOps Engineer and Senior Backend Engineer

4. Hovering Solutions - R&D Project Manager, Robotic Software developer a

5. Ulteig - Design Technology Manager

6. Kwant - Account Executive and VP of Data Science

7. 12d Synergy - Digital Marketing Specialist and Digital Engineering Specialist

8. Kroo - Technical Implementation Manager

9. Autodesk - Business Development UK

10. Replica - Software Engineer Director

Join them to:

- Help these tools find their market.

- Help them grow.

- Help build the future instead of waiting for it!

👉 Explore open roles www.AECTechJobs.com 

What role would you like to know more about? Product Managers are top of my list.

Link to webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRsXXkFAI1k&t=37s

5. How to Move into ConTech

Want to Move into ConTech? Check out AEC Tech Jobs - all the best new roles from Computational Designer, Product Manager, Software Developer, Marketing and Sales are all here. Join one of the fastest growing industry out there for ConTech roles.

Are you a ConTech company- reach out and we would be happy to add your latest roles.

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Get in touch with any questions you may have: [email protected]

Thanks for reading!