On 19 June 2025, the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) hosted ‘The Future of Digital Building Permits: BIMPowered Tools and Methods,’ a hybrid conference in Brussels under the ACCORD Horizon Europe project. The full-day event convened policymakers, tech providers, municipal authorities, and researchers to showcase ACCORD’s advanced BIMdriven permit solutions, which translate regulations into machine-readable parameters for automated compliance. Featuring real-life pilots from across Finland, Estonia, Germany, Spain, the UK, and other countries, attendees explored how digital frameworks can streamline verification, reduce errors, and boost transparency. 

Key sessions included a policy introduction by EC officer Pablo Gutiérrez-Velayos, technical deep dives led by academics and ACCORD partners, and interactive roundtables with developers of BIM-based permit platforms. Participants connected at an exhibition marketplace, gaining hands-on insights into cloud-based microservices and semantic rule frameworks. The seminar underscored the integration of BIM and Geo-BIM as pivotal enablers of Green Deal and New European Bauhaus ambitions.