BIM, Email, and AI: Rethinking Project Information Management

In this episode of the AI AEC Show by AEC Business, I sat down with Carl Veillette, Chief Product Officer at Newforma. With a career that began in architecture and evolved into co-founding BIM Track, followed by joining Newforma, Carl brings a unique perspective on how the industry can better manage the explosion of construction data, particularly through smart, ethical AI. We explored the future of project information management (PIM), how AI is quietly transforming jobsite workflows, and why connecting email threads to BIM models might be more powerful than it sounds. From Architect to Product Visionary Carl Veillette Carl began his journey in architecture and BIM coordination. His hands-on project experience exposed the inefficiencies of issue tracking in large projects, which sparked the creation of BIM Track. He saw a real need for better coordination. BIM Track quickly established a global user base, thanks to being a cloud-first SaaS platform that solves a real pain point. This entrepreneurial path eventually led him to Newforma, whose long-standing focus on project information management made for a natural merger. Together, they aim to close the gap between data silos and day-to-day construction work. What Is Newforma Today? Newforma isn’t trying to replace the tools you already use; it’s making them work together. From emails and Teams chats to PDFs marked up in Bluebeam, Newforma orchestrates workflows to create a complete audit trail. Carl likens this to weaving the “golden thread” of information across the lifecycle of a project. Their approach is tool-agnostic and people-centric. They are creating a network across the project’s tech stack, not replacing the tools. Making AI Practical on the Jobsite One standout topic was how Newforma is utilizing AI to address the persistent issue of email record-keeping. With 75% of legal evidence in construction projects coming from email, unfiled communication poses significant risks. According to Carl, only 50% of emails make it into project records. Enter AI. Newforma’s “project context AI” can automatically identify, classify, and file emails and even tie them to relevant BIM models and workflows. This removes the burden from staff while dramatically improving compliance and searchability. Bridging Communication and BIM Carl emphasized that integrating BIM into everyday communication workflows is key. Rather than force project managers or site supervisors to adopt complex BIM tools, Newforma links communications directly to 3D models, accessible with a single click. It’s BIM without the friction. The company is putting BIM in the hands of people who have never had access to it. Ethical AI and Ownership Matters When it comes to AI, Carl is clear: transparency and customer data ownership are non-negotiable. Newforma’s AI services are opt-in, and they never train their models on client data. If your vendor is vague about using your data to train AI, you should be concerned. Carl ensures that the client owns their information; Newforma doesn’t sell it, and doesn’t use it for someone else’s insights. The Google of Construction Data? Carl described Newforma as the “Google of construction project data” and not without reason. Their platform can index everything from DWGs and spreadsheets to emails and Teams chats across both cloud and on-premises systems. This deep search capability isn’t just about locating files.