The Shifts Practice Leaders Are Starting to Notice
This week, a clear pattern emerged across conversations, posts, and reactions: roles, tools, and power structures in AEC are shifting faster than most practices are willing to admit.
From the evolution of the BIM Manager role, to acquisitions signalling where real value now sits, to layoffs exposing the limits of BIM 1.0 economics, the discussion wasn’t about noise or hype. It was about signals, and what they mean for how we lead, hire, invest, and deliver work.
Below is a roundup of what sparked the most discussion, why it matters, and how it connects to a bigger theme I’m seeing repeatedly across practices, platforms, and people navigating digital change.. 👇
What Sparked the Most Discussion This Week
Here’s what resonated most:
1. If you’re still calling this role “BIM Manager,” you may be underestimating its impact on your practice.
Click here to see the full post: LinkedIn
2. AECOM acquires Consigli for $300m. Now Procore acquires DataGrid.
Click here to see the full post: LinkedIn
If you understand buildings, workflows, or delivery - these companies want you.
3. Procore and Autodesk laying off over 1,000 people isn’t a unique one-off event. It’s a signal that BIM 1.0 economics are breaking under BIM 2.0 realities.
Click here to see the full post: LinkedIn
Theme of the Week: Why the BIM Manager role is Evolving
If you’re still calling this role “BIM Manager,” there’s a good chance you’re underestimating its real impact on your practice.
Across leading architecture firms, BIM is no longer just about standards, models, or coordination. The role is expanding into something broader, more strategic, and far more influential - Digital Design Leadership. This shift reflects a deeper change in how practices think about data, workflows, and decision-making, not just software administration.
Live Webinar + White Paper Launch
From BIM Manager to Digital Design Leader
Why the Role Is Evolving - and What Comes Next for Architecture Practices
In this live session, we’ll unpack:
-/ Why the traditional BIM Manager role is breaking its original boundaries
-/ How digital, data, and workflow leadership is expanding inside practices
-/ What this shift means for careers, teams, and firm-wide strategy
-/ How practices should be responding now, not later
Special Guest Contributors
-/ Mairéad Gallagher Morgan - BIM Lead Europe & Middle East, Grimshaw Architects
-/ Martin Wilding - BIM Practice Manager & Associate Principal, KPF Architects
-/ Mike Buss - Head of Product, Arcol
Each brings a distinct perspective from practice, leadership, and product on how digital roles are being redefined.
White Paper Launch
This webinar also marks the official launch of a new white paper exploring the evolution of the BIM Manager into the Digital Design Leader. Attendees will receive first access to the thinking and real-world insights behind the research. This is a collaboration supported by Arcol.
Who This Is For
BIM Managers and Digital Leads
Architects thinking beyond traditional delivery roles
Practice leaders navigating digital change
Anyone questioning whether the “BIM Manager” title still fits
If You Sell ConTech, This Is the Room That Matters
If you build technology for architects or engineers, your biggest constraint isn’t product quality - it’s access to real decision-makers.
That’s why AEC INNOVATE (June 16–18, 2026, ARIA Resort & Casino) is different.
This is not a trade show. It’s direct access to 500+ Principals, CTOs, Innovation Leads, and Digital Directors who attend specifically to evaluate AI and workflow tools and shape their 2026 technology roadmaps.
Why exhibit
-/ Two days of high-intent conversations
-/ Senior buyers actively comparing solutions
-/ Clear pipeline, real feedback, and faster deal momentum
Exhibitor package includes
-/ Exhibit space
-/ Two passes
-/ Logo placement (website + main stage)
-/ Custom promo link offering prospects $200 off
If you want visibility with the people who actually influence buying decisions, this is one of the few events engineered for that outcome.
→ Register interest: https://www.psmj.com/innovateaddd
5 Tools Architects Are Exploring - Revit Plugins!
Rather than “best tools,” these are tools I’m seeing practices actively evaluate:
Ideatura: AI Drawing Automations - Automate repetitive and boring tasks in Revit with natural language.
Best suited for: Architects / Engineers / Project Teams
Fits in workflow: Revit detailing, dimensioning and workflows
Contact Andrea Rocco Matta
ARKI - Bring BIM to Rhino® with BEAM. Enrich Rhino geometry with BIM data. Import and export to and from Revit™ and IFC.
Best suited for: Architects / Engineers
Fits in workflow: early to mid stage
Contact Mauro Sabiu
Bird Tools - A Digital Swiss Army Knife For Every BIM Professional. As a must have package of Revit add-ins, Bird Tools aims to boost your Autodesk® Revit® efficiency with:
o Automated CAD-to-BIM Conversion
o Smart Annotation Alignment/Arrangement
o Built-in Real Time Clash Detection/Visualisation
o Dynamo® and BIM 360® Batch Processing
o Integrated Revit®/BIM 360® Activity Logging/Monitoring and Instant Messaging
o And Much More...
Best suited for: Architects, Engineers and BIM Managers
Fits in workflow: mid-Late stages
Contact here: https://www.birdtools-developers.com/contact.html
BLTSMRT Foundry - Number Doors, Rename Elevations, Auto-Tag Views, Generate Elevations, Place Views, Outline Views - plus it’s FREE!
Best suited for: Architects, Engineers, BIM Managers
Fits in workflow: early - late
Contact: Chris Wiesen
Nonica - Customise and share Revit® toolbars across teams.
Best suited for: Architects
Fits in workflow: Early - mid
Contact: Jaime Alonso
Free Resource: Explore the ConTech Landscape
If you’re scanning this space, I maintain a free ConTech database covering hundreds of tools across architecture, engineering, and construction.
I use it as a starting point before advising practices, not as an answer in itself.
→ Browse the database here: https://contechdatabase.softr.app/
What This Means for Practice Leaders
If you’re operating in or hiring for a BIM Manager role, this shift has direct consequences for:
-/ Delivery credibility
-/ Influence inside the practice
-/ Career progression beyond coordination
The question isn’t whether BIM skills are still needed.
It’s whether the role is positioned as operational support or strategic leadership.
When BIM is treated as a technical service, its impact is capped.
When it is treated as a design, data, and workflow function, it shapes how the practice delivers work.
This is where BIM Managers either remain reactive, or step into true digital leadership.
One Role Worth Noticing This Week
Product Designer - Augrade
Why this role matters:
We’re looking for a Product Designer who is passionate about designing the tool that builds the world around us. Break through the legacy clunky tools to an intuitive UI/UX for complex AEC tools. You’ll be responsible for improving user experience, optimising workflows, and designing interfaces that help professionals & non-technical folks navigate and automate construction feasibility, design, and procurement.
What you’ll do
Redesign UI/UX to simplify complex workflows in 3D/2D design, cost estimation, and procurement.
Work closely with engineers, PMs, and AEC experts to create intuitive experiences tailored to industry needs.
Develop wireframes, prototypes, and user flows for features that impact General Contractors, VDC teams, and Developers.
Conduct user research & usability testing to refine designs based on feedback from AEC professionals.
Optimise information architecture for large datasets, 3D models, and real-time collaboration tools.
Ensure consistency in design systems while making interfaces highly functional and visually clean.
→ View role: Here
See all roles here: www.aectechjobs.com/search
One Next Step
If this issue resonated, let’s have a chat:
→ Book a short diagnostic call - https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/allister
No pressure, just a next step if useful.
One Question for You
When evaluating new software, what’s harder right now: deciding what to trust, who should decide, or what to remove from your existing workflow?
Hit reply, I read every response.
This newsletter exists to help architects navigate technology with confidence, not hype by focusing on workflows, decisions, and real practice constraints.
Thanks for reading!
Allister
