Icon Powers Smarter Delivery Across Complex Builds with Autodesk Forma
As one of Australia and New Zealand’s most diversified builders, Icon is known for delivering complex construction projects across a wide range of sectors, from government, social infrastructure and healthcare to commercial, residential, and education. But it’s not just Icon’s broad project portfolio that sets the company apart – it’s how they manage and coordinate their work using digital tools and data-driven systems to build smarter, safer, and more efficiently.
Icon is one of the largest and most diversified construction firms in Australia and New Zealand, with deep expertise across a broad range of sectors and a team of over 800 experienced professionals. Backed by the global strength of Kajima, one of the world’s biggest construction companies, Icon is committed to building places that enrich lives, strengthen communities, and deliver sustainable value for future generations. Supporting Icon's commitment to disciplined delivery, smarter systems and continuous improvement, the business has also invested in digital tools that enhance certainty, collaboration, and project outcomes.
To support the shift towards smarter projects, Icon has embraced a ‘smart systems’ approach grounded in three strategic pillars: discipline, delivery, and data. As Dominic Martens, Group Construction Technology Manager at Icon, explains, “We’re driving performance and efficiency through data consistency, automation, and centralised access to project information.”
A strategic shift towards digital discipline
Icon's digital transformation entered a new phase in early 2024 with the expanded rollout of Autodesk Forma, formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud, across major social housing projects. Joining Icon at around the same time, Martens, who had used Autodesk Forma in his previous roles, saw a clear opportunity to bring coordination in-house and gain better control of project outcomes.
“Historically, coordination responsibilities were distributed across project participants, which sometimes limited visibility across the full project lifecycle. Bringing coordination in-house through Autodesk Forma has enabled greater consistency, transparency and control – improving project certainty,” says Martens.
The Autodesk Forma rollout enabled Icon to centralise models, drawings, and documents into a single, cloud-based environment. This shift allowed site teams to work from live data, eliminate versioning issues, and reduce reliance on paper-based workflows.
Supporting Martens in Icons commitment to digital transformation, Icon has strengthened its Digital Technologies team with specialists experienced in platforms such as Autodesk Forma, while also investing in the development of emerging talent through the mentoring of junior team members pursuing careers in digital engineering and construction technology.
Leveraging global scale
A turning point came in March 2025, when Icon joined a global Enterprise Business Agreement (EBA) with Autodesk and Icon’s parent company, Japan’s Kajima Corporation, which has over 17,000 employees and 20 locations worldwide.
Joining the Kajima EBA unlocked a licensing model with Autodesk that enabled Icon to extend Autodesk Forma access across more projects and geographies and opened the door to shared learning. “We’ve gained access to a global network of companies solving similar problems,” says Martens. “We’re learning from our sister companies in the US and Japan, and they’re learning from us – especially around our design-and-construction approach.”
Martens was named one of Autodesk’s 40 Under 40 Champions of Construction 2025 for his work leading the Autodesk Forma rollout across the company.
Autodesk University presented an opportunity for learning and collaboration
A pivotal moment in Icon’s digital journey came at Autodesk University (AU), where key members of the team, including Icon Group’s Finance and Commercial Director Andrew Ford, connected in person with dozens of peers from across the Kajima Corporation global network. It was the first time so many Kajima representatives had come together with Icon in one place, deepening relationships and sparking conversations that would help shape Icon’s future approach to digital delivery.
As Martens shares, “AU opened the door to knowledge exchange at a whole new level – it helped validate our direction and showed we were aligned with a global movement.”
Automations and insights are the backbone of smart delivery
One of the most impactful uses of Autodesk Forma has been its automation capabilities. Icon uses Autodesk Forma Construction Connect (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud Connect) to automatically pull the latest drawings from other technology platforms into Autodesk Forma, giving site teams a single source of truth without toggling between platforms. “Our teams love that they can trust the drawings on their devices are always current. Teams can access the latest approved information without additional document management processes,” shares Martens.
This consistency has led to faster decision-making and fewer coordination issues. For example, when models are updated in real time, the team can spot clashes early – sometimes even correcting them before they’re formally flagged.
The team also uses Insights dashboards to monitor sample approvals and project data, streamlining client communications without overwhelming them. “Autodesk Forma’s permission controls let us share the important details with project stakeholders, such as access to forms and dashboards, without any unnecessary technical detail,” says Martens.
Supporting fast, complex builds with real-time coordination
Autodesk Forma has been instrumental in enabling parallel workflows on complex tasks with accelerated timelines, such as infrastructure projects and health facilities.
“On fast-track projects where design development and construction activities occur in parallel, with Autodesk Forma, site teams can get real-time updates, view 3D models onsite, and understand changes as they happen. It’s completely changed how we coordinate in fast-paced environments,” explains Martens.
The road ahead: building smarter, not louder
While Icon is in the first phase of its three-year digital roadmap, the direction is clear and the benefits are already being realised across projects and teams. The company is investing in systems that support its commitment to safe, efficient delivery – and to being a trusted partner for government and institutional clients. “Our focus is on consistency, quality, and doing things smarter. Autodesk Forma is helping us get there, one project at a time,” concludes Martens.