From Massing to Metrics: Integrating Autodesk Forma and Autodesk Forma Carbon Insights for Outcome-Based Design

Around 80% of a building's environmental impact is determined in the first 20% of design, yet this phase often relies on intuition rather than data. This presentation will introduce GHD's outcome-based workflow that embeds predictive AI and cloud simulation into early design, providing carbon insights when decisions matter. Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) enables real-time evaluation of wind, thermal comfort, and early embodied carbon from simple massing models. As designs progress, Autodesk Forma Carbon Insights (formerly Autodesk Insight) calculates energy-use intensity and examines trade-offs between operational and embodied carbon. The result is an iterative, data-driven approach that integrates carbon performance into design and enables credible sustainability narratives from project inception.