Innovate2BUILD 2026 - Accelerating AECO Innovation through AI & Automation
Conferences, Online events
4 February 2026 - 5 February 2026 | Duration : 2 days
Online
What is Innovate2BUILD?
Are you ready to transform how you design, build, collaborate, and deliver projects?
Innovate2BUILD is Graitec’s annual global virtual event, a two-day experience dedicated to professionals across the architecture, engineering, construction, and owners (AECO) and manufacturing industries.
This virtual experience brings together forward-thinking practitioners, technologists, educators, and innovators to explore how emerging digital technologies, and especially artificial intelligence, are transforming design, engineering, and construction.
Attendance is free, but registration is required.
2-day online event
Join anytime for free
Global Summit
Participants from around the world
50+ Exclusive Sessions
Customer stories, end-to-end workflows, and AI-driven innovation.
Industry-leading Speakers
Top Autodesk experts, global thought leaders, innovators in AI & digital transformation, and real GRAITEC customers.
Why This Event Matters
Technology is accelerating change, and reshaping expectations for how we design, engineer, construct, operate, and maintain buildings. Innovate2BUILD equips you to stay ahead by providing:
- Insight into the technologies most affecting the industry today
- Proven strategies and workflows from real-world practitioners
- A forum to engage with industry leaders and future-focused thinkers
- An opportunity to learn, connect, and challenge the status quo
Most sessions are presented in English and livestreamed globally, with speakers joining from Europe and North America. We will also offer select sessions in French, Spanish, and Polish.
Event Focus
Expect presentations and conversations on topics including:
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- BIM & Digital Twins
- Smart and Automated Workflows
- Generative and Predictive Design
- Modular & Industrialized Construction
- Cloud Collaboration & Data Intelligence
- Informed Design & Digital Decision-Making
- Sustainable and Future-Ready Building Approaches
- Visualization, Simulation & Digital Experience
Who Should Attend?
Innovate2BUILD is ideal for:
- Architects & Engineers
- Construction Leaders & VDC Specialists
- BIM & Digital Practice Managers
- Facility Owners & Operators
- Design & Construction Technologists
- Manufacturers in the Construction Supply Chain
- Professionals exploring the impact of AI and automation
Why Attend?
Join Innovate2BUILD to:
- Hear from the industry’s most forward-thinking voices
- Learn how AI and automation are influencing real design and construction workflows
- Explore case studies, implementation strategies, and proven approaches
- Build confidence navigating the next wave of digital transformation
- Connect with a global community shaping the built environment
Innovate2Build Keynote Speakers
We are thrilled to introduce our keynote presenters—leaders driving innovation at the intersection of technology and the built environment.
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Phillip G. Bernstein, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP Deputy Dean and Professor, Yale School of Architecture |
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Phil Bernstein is Deputy Dean and Professor Adjunct at the Yale School of Architecture. He is a former vice president at Autodesk, where he was responsible for the company’s Building Information Modeling strategy. Prior to Autodesk Phil was an associate principal Cesar Pelli & Associates where he managed many of the firm’s most complex commissions. He is the author of Architecture Design Data: Practice Competency in the Era of Computation, and Machine Learning: Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects , and former Chair of the AIA Contracts Documents Committee. Keynote Presentation: Phil’s talk explores how emerging AI tools differ from past digital shifts — introducing autonomy into workflows and challenging ownership, authorship, responsibility, and the identity of practice. |
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Randy Deutsch, FAIA Clinical Associate Professor University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
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Randy Deutsch, FAIA is an architect, educator, author, and AI researcher with over 30 years of experience shaping the future of design practice. A licensed architect and recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award Chicago, Randy has designed more than 100 large, sustainable projects. He has authored six books on design, technology, and practice, most recently Convergence and Adapt As an Architect, with his seventh, The Agentic Architect: AI and the Resurgence of Practice, coming in 2026. A Fellow of the AIA and Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, Randy teaches at the University of Illinois and is co-founder of the Built Environment Futures Council. |
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Industry Presenters
Alongside our keynote speakers, Innovate2BUILD features industry experts, technology leaders, and practitioners at the forefront of digital adoption. These speakers will share real-world implementations, challenges, workflows, and lessons learned — bridging vision and execution across AECO and manufacturing.
Full speaker line-up coming soon.
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James Gray |
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James Gray is a design technology leader with 20+ years in the construction industry, specializing in BIM, information management, and AI. As Head of BIM at Squire & Partners, he drives technology strategy, automation, and innovative workflows across the practice. |
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Gizem Nalbur BIM Coordinator PLP Architecture |
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Gizem Nalbur is a BIM Coordinator with a decade of experience in architecture and digital design. At PLP Architecture, she advances automation, interdisciplinary coordination, and ISO 19650–aligned workflows across complex projects. |
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Nigel Davies Founding Director Evolve Consultancy |
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AEC technology expert with over two decades in digital design and data management. A structural engineer by training, Nigel has shaped CAD and BIM standards across leading firms and serves as Chair of the AEC (UK) CAD Standards Initiative. |
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Cesar Escalante, AIA, CM-BIM, LEED AP BD+C Technical Marketing Manager – Architecture Autodesk |
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As Autodesk’s architecture innovation evangelist, Cesar leverages his two-decade career at industry leaders like Gensler, HOK, and Flad Architects to champion cutting-edge technologies. A deep passion for computational design and digital prototyping complements his expertise in delivering multi-billion-dollar projects. |
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Emmanuel Di Giacomo EMEA Senior Global Business Development and Architect Autodesk |
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Emmanuel Di Giacomo is a French architect (D.P.L.G., 1993) and BIM specialist who has worked for Autodesk for more than two decades. He is currently Autodesk’s EMEA BIM Ecosystem Development Manager, responsible for developing and supporting the BIM and AEC ecosystems across Europe, including relationships with key architecture and construction firms, technology partners and the openBIM community. He’s also in charge of AI and data strategy for EMEA as well as iconic projects like Notre-Dame’s reconstruction. |
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Save the Date!
Get ready to secure your spot and join the conversation shaping the future of AECO.