Research and development teams often work behind the scenes, but they play a major role in shaping where construction is headed next. In this episode, Eric Thomas sits down with Fope Bademosi, Circular Economy and Construction Researcher, and Lorenzo Villaggi, Principal Research Scientist at Autodesk, to explore how Autodesk Research is approaching the future of AI, sustainability, and material reuse.

Fope and Lorenzo walk through their latest work on assessing existing buildings, predicting what’s inside walls using multimodal data, and designing low‑carbon assemblies with the help of AI agents. They also explain how early insight into materials, carbon impacts, and code constraints can shift project culture toward circularity.

Topics we cover:

1. How Autodesk Research operates 5–10 years ahead of industry needs
2. The impact of material reuse on carbon reduction and waste
3. What circularity and the circular economy mean in a construction context
4. A prototype that predicts the materials and systems hidden behind walls
5. How multimodal data improves AI’s accuracy on existing buildings
6. Using AI agents to design low‑carbon assemblies that merge reclaimed and new materials
7. The role of building codes, performance requirements, and safety considerations
8. Where the Autodesk Research team is headed next with testing, customer collaborations, and expanded assembly types

The built environment contributes roughly 40% of global carbon emissions, and most construction waste still ends up in landfills. Fope and Lorenzo share how emerging technologies—combined with new workflows and industry collaboration—can help shift project teams toward reuse, lower‑carbon design, and more informed decision‑making from the start.

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.