As the urgency to combat climate change grows, architects and engineers are stepping up by designing buildings that are not only beautiful and functional but also sustainable. With tools like Autodesk Revit, Insight, and Forma, professionals now have advanced capabilities to analyze, predict, and reduce the environmental impact of their designs. This blog explores how to leverage Insight Carbon Analysis and Autodesk Forma to create environmentally friendly and sustainable buildings from early concept to final model.

Why Sustainable Design Matters

Buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with a significant portion stemming from the energy they consume throughout their lifecycle. The architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has a crucial role to play in reversing this trend. Sustainable design isn’t just about reducing operational energy, it involves a holistic approach that includes embodied carbon, materials selection, site impact, and long-term building performance.

Autodesk has emerged as a leader in supporting sustainable workflows with intelligent design tools that integrate analysis directly into the design process.

Two standout tools: Insight for Revit and Autodesk Forma. Both empower teams to make smart, sustainable decisions without disrupting creativity or productivity.

Starting with Autodesk Forma: Designing for Sustainability from Day One

Autodesk Forma is built for the early conceptual design phase, precisely the stage where the greatest environmental impact can be made. Decisions such as building orientation, massing, site selection, and daylight access can dramatically affect future performance and comfort.

Key Sustainable Features in Forma

The latest update of Forma (2025) shifts its focus from operational energy prediction to a powerful suite of environmental and site-specific analyses, giving designers rich insights during the earliest phases of design. Forma now includes:

• Solar Studies and Sun Hours: Evaluate how much sunlight building surfaces receive year-round, critical for passive design and solar panel placement.
• Shadow and Daylight Analysis: Understand how shadows from surrounding buildings affect daylight potential, indoor comfort, and neighbouring structures.
• Microclimate Analysis: Visualize how wind patterns, temperature, and urban heat island effects impact pedestrian comfort and site suitability.
• Wind Analysis: Assess airflow around buildings to improve comfort and inform decisions on form, façade design, and outdoor spaces.
• Embodied Carbon Estimates: Gain early insights into the carbon impact of design choices by analysing material massing and typology.
• Area Metrics: Quickly track program areas, plot ratios, and zoning compliance to align sustainability with urban constraints.
• Noise Analysis: Evaluate sound propagation on-site to ensure acoustic comfort in sensitive programs such as schools, hospitals, or residences.

Workflow Example: Early Massing in Forma

Let’s say you’re planning a new urban housing block. In Forma, you model different massing options and use solar and wind analyses to identify the form that provides optimal daylight, minimizes overheating, and creates a comfortable outdoor courtyard. At the same time, the embodied carbon tool shows how switching from concrete to engineered timber could significantly reduce your environmental impact. This also includes the newly added Shadow Study, shadows cast by the Sun Hours Analysis and how that impacts your building and surrounding area.

Revit and Insight: Operational and Embodied Carbon Analysis

As you move from concept into design development and documentation, the power of Autodesk Insight becomes indispensable. Insight is a cloud-based energy analysis platform built into Revit that gives real-time feedback on energy performance and carbon impact, helping teams make smarter design decisions.

What is Insight?

Insight provides building performance simulation powered by EnergyPlus and DOE-2 engines. The platform works with Revit models and offers:

• Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Predictions
• Operational Carbon Emissions Estimation
• Thermal Comfort Simulations
• HVAC System Efficiency Analysis
• Material and Glazing Options Evaluation

Insight’s Carbon Analysis Tools

Autodesk recently integrated carbon analysis into Insight, allowing users to estimate operational carbon emissions based on local energy grids and building usage patterns. Combined with embodied carbon data (imported from tools like EC3), designers can begin optimizing both operational and embodied carbon footprints.

Workflow Example: Revit to Insight

Let’s continue with the office building example. You bring your Forma massing into Revit, develop it with more accurate geometry, materials, and systems, then push it to Insight. The dashboard reveals that HVAC loads can be reduced by 20% by using a more efficient glazing system and improving insulation. Further, you discover that swapping steel framing for cross-laminated timber significantly cuts embodied carbon without sacrificing structural performance.

Connecting Forma and Revit: A Seamless Sustainable Workflow

One of the most exciting developments in Autodesk’s ecosystem is the connection between Forma and Revit. Models created in Forma are loaded directly into Revit with the Send-to-Revit function from Forma and the Load Proposal Function in Revit for refinement, ensuring that early-stage sustainable decisions are carried through the design lifecycle.

The Future of Sustainable Design with Autodesk

Autodesk continues to invest in AI, cloud computing, and open data platforms that make sustainable design easier, faster, and more accurate. Expect future enhancements in:

• AI-Powered Generative Design: Automated sustainable massing options.
• Real-Time Carbon Dashboards: In-project visual feedback of CO2 emissions.
• Lifecycle Integration: Combining operational, embodied, and demolition carbon into one streamlined analysis.

With Insight and Forma, we now have the tools to design buildings that are good for people, profitable for developers, and kind to the planet.

Forma Example of Embodied Carbon Analysis:

Revit Insight Carbon Analysis Example:

How to Run a Carbon Insight Analysis in Autodesk Revit

Prerequisites

Make sure you’re using Revit 2023.1 or later (latest versions provide better Insight integration).

Ensure your Revit model has:

1. Building elements defined (walls, roofs, floors, windows, etc.)
2. Spaces or rooms placed and enclosed
3. Location set in project settings
4. Energy settings configured (Analyze Tab > Energy Optimization Panel > Energy Settings

Sign in with your Autodesk account (Insight is cloud-based).

Step 1: Set the Project Location

1. Go to the Manage tab or Analyze Tab or Sun Settings
2. Click Location
3. Enter your project address or use the map to choose the correct climate zone.
4. Click OK to apply.

Why it matters: Insight uses location to determine climate data and energy source mix (affecting operational carbon calculations).
 
Step 2: Define Energy Settings
Go to the Analyze tab.
Click Energy Settings in the Energy Optimization Panel
Set:
Mode: Use Conceptual Mass Mode or Use Building Elements (use Building Elements if the model is detailed).
Building Type: Select the correct use type (e.g., Office, Hospital).
Analysis Type: Choose Whole Building.
Ground Plane, Project Phase, and other details as needed.
Click OK.
Tip: If you’re using detailed architectural elements (walls, windows, etc.), always choose Use Building Elements for more accurate results.

Step 3: Place Rooms or Spaces

• For Architectural models: Use Rooms from the Architecture tab.
• For MEP models: Use Spaces from the Analyze tab.

Step 4: Analyze

1. On the Analyze tab > Carbon Insight Panel > Select Analyze

Step 5: Review Operational Carbon Insights

1. On the Web Browser (Cloud-Based Viewing)

Carbon Insight Analysis in Revit is an incredibly powerful step toward sustainable architecture. It empowers you to:

• Justify design decisions with data
• Optimize for energy and emissions early

Conclusion

Designing for sustainability is no longer an optional extra, it’s a professional and ethical necessity. By integrating Insight Carbon Analysis and Autodesk Forma into your Revit-based workflows, you can design smarter from day one. These tools give architects and engineers the power to make data-driven decisions that reduce environmental impact and create a more sustainable future.

Whether you’re working on a small residential development or a high-rise commercial project, these Autodesk solutions provide the intelligence and agility needed to meet both your performance goals and your environmental responsibilities.

Sustainable design is not just about the future: It starts with your next project.

Still looking for answers? Start a discussion with other professionals in your industry!