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Graphisoft Strengthens Presence in Southeast Asia Amid BIM Demand Surge

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Graphisoft is poised to deepen its impact in Southeast Asia, driven by surging demand for advanced digital tools amid the region’s rapid development and growing focus on sustainable construction practices.

 

Graphisoft’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Daniel Csillag emphasised the importance of the Southeast Asia market to the company’s global growth during his recent visit to Kuala Lumpur with key executives, including Chief Product Officer, Márton Kiss, and Chief Customer Success Officer, Gergely Kmethy.

 

“Southeast Asia is a growth powerhouse for the construction industry and is poised to be one of the most dynamic regions in the next 20 years. While Japan is experiencing rapid growth, Southeast Asia remains a key focus for us, with its significant potential and opportunities,” said Csillag. “We are excited about the opportunities here and remain committed to strengthening our presence.”

 

Established in 1982 by Hungarian architects and mathematicians, Graphisoft has grown into a global powerhouse, often called the ancestor of BIM, with over 200,000 users worldwide and 25 offices across 14 countries. At the heart of Graphisoft’s success is its flagship product, Archicad, the world’s leading 3D architectural design software. Archicad was recently honoured as BIM Product of the Year 2024 at the prestigious Construction Computing Awards (The Hammers), marking its 14th consecutive win in the category.

 

Archicad offers an intuitive interface and powerful tools that streamline design documentation, one-click publishing, photo-realistic rendering, and advanced analysis, allowing architects to focus on creativity. Key features include an automated Keynotes system for consistent documentation, enhanced Rhino-Grasshopper integration for faster parametric design, and a cloud-based AI Visualizer for instant, high-quality rendering. It also supports sustainable design with lifecycle assessment tools integrated with One Click LCA and improves renovation workflows with advanced Point Cloud capabilities.

 

Graphisoft’s confidence in Southeast Asia is bolstered by its strong positioning and recent success stories, including its role in the iconic Merdeka 118 skyscraper – the world’s second-tallest building – standing as a testament to Archicad’s capabilities. The project exemplifies how Graphisoft’s innovative solutions empower architects and engineers to deliver groundbreaking designs while preserving cultural significance and meeting stringent sustainability goals.

 

The global AEC industry’s rapid adoption of BIM technologies further underscores Graphisoft’s optimism. The global BIM market, valued at US$8.6 billion in 2023, is projected to grow at a robust CAGR of 16.3 percent, reaching US$24.8 billion by 2030. In the Asia-Pacific region, the construction market is experiencing a remarkable upward trend, driven by substantial government investments in infrastructure development.

 

Southeast Asia, in particular, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2 percent between 2024 and 2028, underscoring the region’s pivotal role in the industry’s transformation. Initiatives like Malaysia’s Public Works Department (JKR) Strategic Plan 2021-2025, which targets 90 percent BIM adoption for projects exceeding RM10 million, exemplify the region’s commitment to digital transformation in construction.

 

Graphisoft’s growth plan in Southeast Asia is supported by a robust network of partnerships designed to meet the unique needs of the local market:

  • Industry Collaborations: Partnerships with IME Technology and ACAD Singapore enable Graphisoft to provide localised solutions and training while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
  • Academic Integration: Collaborations with institutions like Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and HELP University embed Archicad into architecture and engineering curricula, preparing the next generation of professionals with critical BIM skills.
  • Professional Development: Graphisoft works with organisations such as Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) to drive BIM adoption through workshops, conferences, and CPD programmes.

 

“Education is key to growing our reach in Southeast Asia. Planting the seed early by shaping the mindset of students and future users is critical. Advocacy plays a huge role, as professional software adoption often hinges on success stories from architects using our tools. Their achievement is our proof point, and it helps magnify a strong local community and user base,” Kiss shared.

 

To meet the industry’s evolving needs, Graphisoft is driving innovation through its robust product development roadmap. Central to this effort is the Technology Preview Program which engages over 3,000 beta testers to identify issues and suggest improvements. This collaboration resolved over 100 undetected bugs, ensuring a polished user experience before public release.

 

Building on this foundation, the 2024 BIM solutions update focuses on improving collaboration, streamlining workflows, and strengthening environmental design. Features include real-time and AI-powered visualisation tools that enable teams and clients to make faster, more informed decisions.

 

Looking ahead, Graphisoft is set to introduce AI-powered tools that go beyond design inspiration. “While AI-assisted visualisation is great for engaging clients early, the true productivity lies in eliminating repetitive tasks and accelerating documentation,” added Kiss.

 

Csillag also emphasises that sustainability is no longer optional in the construction industry. He said, “With 57 percent of global carbon emissions linked to construction, and 20 percent of materials wasted due to poor planning, adopting lifecycle analysis and other advanced tools is critical. These solutions not only help minimise waste but also empower architects to propose more sustainable and resilient designs to their clients.”

 

Csillag remains optimistic about its growth trajectory in the region. “We are closely following the market and working with different geographies. In the next one to two years, we aim to aggregate more staff to support our partners and drive more powerful use of Graphisoft’s solutions in Southeast Asia,” he explained.

 

As one of the fastest-growing software companies, consistently outperforming the average global design market growth rate of 8 percent per year, Graphisoft is well-positioned to lead the charge in advancing Malaysia’s architectural and engineering capabilities, shaping a future of smarter, greener, and more ambitious feats.

 

 

Surbana Jurong and Glodon to Collaborate on Expanding Digitalisation to Quantity Surveying and Cost Management

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Surbana Jurong, one of the largest Asia-based urban, infrastructure and management services consulting firms, and Glodon, a leading digital technology company in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on developing advanced digital capabilities in the specialised areas of quantity surveying and cost management to support the further development of the construction industry in Singapore and Asia.

This effort is well aligned with one of the key thrusts in the Construction Industry Transformation Map, as part of Singapore’s efforts to transform the construction industry by improving its overall efficiency and effectiveness through leveraging on technology and innovation.

Essentially, Surbana Jurong and Glodon will work together to expand the adoption of a technology known as 5D Building Information Modelling (BIM), which supports the effective quantification of construction materials based on models constructed in the BIM environment. By having better visibility of the quantities and associated costs at the building design stage, designers and architects would be better able to understand how their designs affect costs of the whole project. This in turn helps project owners to have better budget control.

Under the MOU, Surbana Jurong and Glodon will focus on three key areas:

  • Digitalisation of the Quantity Surveying workflow using the concept of 5D BIM and e-Tender Solution
  • Develop a BIM execution plan to deploy 5D BIM effectively
  • Test bedding of a BIM payment feature using a proprietary measurement software

Mr James Liu Qian, Board Director and Senior Vice President, Glodon, said, “To date, the important areas of quantity surveying and cost management in the construction industry have still not tapped the full potential of digitalisation in capturing better connectivity with construction projects using BIM.

Cubicost is an end-to-end 5D BIM technology which combines all solutions in the form of smart automation through one common platform. One of the world-leading digital building platform service providers, Glodon develops professional digital applications and solutions through BIM, cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, mobile Internet and artificial intelligence. In Singapore, Cubicost technology has a market coverage of more than 25% among building contractors and over 43 percent among A-grade contractors.”

Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group Chief Executive Officer, Surbana Jurong, added, “With our focus to develop smart urban cities, we need to be equipped with effective and proven technologies to strengthen our end-to-end service delivery to our clients. Our digitalisation efforts in recent years have yielded promising results, and we are committed to continue to work with like-minded partners such as Glodon in our digitalisation journey. We are moving towards 5D BIM and through this partnership with Glodon, we will be able to fully leverage Cubicost, a 5D BIM-based solution, to deliver cost-effective solutions to our clients.”

Trimble Introduces Tekla 2019 Structural BIM Software Solution

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In March 2019, Trimble introduced the latest versions of its structural Building Information Modeling (BIM) software solutions for the construction industry: Tekla Structures 2019, Tekla Structural Designer 2019, Tekla Tedds 2019 and Tekla EPM 2019.

Trimble’s solutions support professionals in the structural steel, precast and cast-in-place concrete industries with a Constructible Process, an innovative approach for the digital transformation of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) workflows.

Tekla Structures 2019 delivers enhancements, improvements and new features that enable smoother workflows, more precise control and improved productivity, including:

  • Geometry improvements for describing curved structures, such as bent plates and staircases that boost productivity and eliminate the need for workarounds.
  • New automated features for model-based drawing production and upgraded precast production data exports, which support more streamlined design communication and information transfer from detailing to production.
  • Rebar detailing enhancements, such as rebar rounding at the model, set and modifier levels, which allow more intuitive control and efficiency when detailing and documenting reinforced cast-in-place concrete.
  • Cast-in-place (CIP) concrete workflows for improved Pour Unit, which make it easier to create reliable, structured pour takeoffs, reports and drawings.
  • CIP concrete formwork tools that are upgraded and simplified to boost detailed and efficient formwork workflow.

Tekla Structures 2019 includes new tools such as Revit Export, an extension which brings greater flexibility when working with .rvt files, and the Design-to-Cost tool, which supports faster value engineering and more economical precast solutions.

A new Bridge Creator extension, which makes early design phase workflows faster and easier, has also been introduced as part of a new customised bridge designer role and ribbon menu containing productivity-boosting bridge design tools.

Improvements in drawings include annotation cloning for faster and easier creation of general arrangement drawings, more intelligent handling of drawing views, improved dimensioning productivity and increased support for a wider variety of BIM objects. It is also now easier to meet office standards for documents and drawings, with enhanced Drawing Content Management and aligned marks.

Tekla Structural Designer 2019 introduces updates around flexibility and interoperability. The new Core Walls feature enhances real-world simulation and constructible core wall modeling, and new and improved export features focus on data interoperability with Tekla Structures and Autodesk Revit. In addition, the interface and usability for users of Tekla Structural Designer and Tekla Structures have been fine-tuned for a more aligned experience.

Tekla Tedds 2019 offers even better integration with Tekla Structures, meaning more convenient design management for users of both Tekla products. Users can also now create even more professional BIM design documentation and use Tedds calculations to create professional PDFs.

Tekla EPM 2019 introduces an advanced model-based viewer that brings productivity gains through enhanced collaboration and real-time visualization for steel fabrication management. The earlier versions of Tekla EPM are known as FabSuite.

To learn more and to download Tekla 2019 versions, visit www.tekla.com/2019.

Bentley Systems Expands Concrete Offerings Through Acquisition of S-Cube Futuretech

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Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure, recently announced the acquisition of Mumbai-based concrete building design and documentation software company S-Cube Futuretech Pvt. Ltd.

The addition of S-Cube Futuretech’s applications expands Bentley’s offerings specific to the needs of concrete engineering design and documentation software users in India, South East Asia, and the Middle East.

S-Cube Futuretech’s applications, including RCDC, RCDC FE, RCDC Plan, and Steel Autodrafter, deliver flexible and powerful design and documentation solutions for structural concrete building engineers and designers. Automated concrete documentation is localised to regional requirements and provides users with compelling value and capabilities which are complementary to Bentley’s widely used structural analysis, steel design, and BIM applications, STAAD, RAM, and AECOsim Building Designer.

“More than two billion people will fill the world’s cities over the next 30 years. This growth will continue to be concentrated in the developing markets of Asia, particularly India, China, and South East Asian countries. Efficient, automated, concrete design and detailing tools will be instrumental to every nation’s ability to address this demand,” said Raoul Karp, Bentley’s vice president of design engineering analysis.

Since 2014, Bentley Systems and S-Cube have collaborated to develop fully integrated concrete design and analysis applications. The acquisition brings together the knowledge base of S-Cube and Bentley’s respective teams of experts, representing decades of combined industry experience to provide state-of-the-art structural design and analysis technology.

“We are excited to be joining with S-Cube’s expert team whose proven technology provides interactive and automated concrete design and drawing capabilities to our STAAD, RAM, and AECOsim Building Designer users. S-Cube brings a wealth of experience in providing concrete design and drawing automation for the India, Middle East, and Southeast Asia markets,” said Santanu Das, senior vice president of design engineering for Bentley.

Sajit Nair, CEO of S-Cube Futuretech said, “As a global leader in the structural analysis and design space, Bentley brings state-of-the-art BIM and structural analysis technology, a strong user-centric ethos, and global market experience that will help scale our solutions to a much broader market. We are excited about bringing more functionality and capabilities to more users globally, in a shorter timeframe than we would have been able to otherwise.”

FINALCAD Secures $20 Million Series B

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The construction industry, currently a $9.5 trillion market expected to nearly double by 2030, is among the least digitised industries

The construction industry, currently a $9.5 trillion market expected to nearly double by 2030, is among the least digitised industries

FINALCAD, a global leader in mobile construction apps and predictive analytics for the field, today announced that it has raised $20 million in Series B round led by Serena Capital, Caphorn Invest and Aster Capital. Investment will fuel international business growth, expansion into new sectors and advanced research and development.

 

The construction industry, currently a $9.5 trillion market expected to nearly double by 2030*, is among the least digitised industries**. “In five years, FINALCAD has responded to tremendous demand for mobile apps for the field, in Europe, Asia and Americas.” said Jimmy Louchart, co-founder and CEO of FINALCAD. “With this new round of funding, FINALCAD is poised to scale for this growing demand happening within a growing global market.”

 

FINALCAD is planning to use the funding for international business development, as well as expanding new sectors such as civil infrastructures and energy.

 

New funding will also fuel research and development for furthering advanced fields: smart data analytics, artificial intelligence for objects recognition, augmented reality linked to BIM models, digitisation of lean construction processes, and open API interoperability.

 

Launched 5 years ago, FINALCAD has seen rapid growth*** globally with more than 10,000 projects delivered to date in 30 countries, totalling more than 20 million jobsite observations and nearly 10 million photos. FINALCAD is used by global contractors such as Bouygues, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Eiffage, Fujita Corporation, Shimizu Corporation, Takenaka Corporation, VINCI, infrastructure operators like RATP Group, as well as architects, and owners, such as Capitaland and Swire Properties. FINALCAD’s customers improve quality on their projects, save time and budget costs.

 

FINALCAD was built upon five founding pillars that are driving its design and worldwide, massive adoption:

 

  • #GLOBAL: available in 30 languages, FINALCAD is by far the mobile construction app that has the largest global footprint.
  • #MOBILE: FINALCAD is a mobile-first app developed natively on all major platforms (iOS, Android and Windows) for tablets and smartphones.
  • #BIM: FINALCAD is the only context-based mobile app enabling BIM on the field, integrated with BIM leading solution Autodesk Revit, and Open BIM standards.
  • #SMARTDATA: FINALCAD stands out with its data-driven features, from in-app suggestions of corrective actions to on-demand analytics reports.
  • #CONSTRUCTION: FINALCAD is designed by construction professionals for construction professionals. The team is composed of former site managers, engineers and architects that are dedicated to the digital transformation of the industry.

 

“Since our initial investment in FINALCAD, the company’s performance and ability to execute has exceeded our expectations” said Nicolas Louvet, Partner at Serena Capital. “Over the past two years, FINALCAD has delivered product innovation, field adoption, and significantly expanded the share of its international clients. This is why we decided to lead this second round of funding.”

 

“We reckon the construction industry is lagging behind in digitisation, with tremendous needs lying ahead. FINALCAD clearly embodies this huge opportunity. CapHorn Invest is committed to helping the company accelerate its growth taking advantage of the CapHorn Network of subscribers.” said Laurent Dumas-Crouzillac, Partner at Caphorn Invest.

 

“We were particularly impressed with the global mindset and international business development demonstrated by FINALCAD, especially in Europe and Asia. It will be a natural fit with the global coverage of Aster Capital’s team and investment portfolio,” said Jean-Marc Bally, Managing Partner at Aster Capital.

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*Global Construction 2030 Report, by Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics.

**McKinsey Global Institute Industry Digitization Index

***FINALCAD has been ranked in the top tier of Deloitte’s Fast 500 EMEA and Fast 50 France rankings with a cumulated growth of 827 percent over four years.

BIM Day + Innovative Products at HK International Building and Hardware Fair

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Mark your calendars now, as the ninth edition of Hong Kong International Building and Hardware Fair organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council will be held on 29 October – 1 November 2014 at the AsiaWorld Expo! The fair welcomes close to 180 exhibitors. Among them, the exhibitors from Portugal and Turkey participate in the fair for the first time. They display broad array of building materials and hardware products. 14 exhibitors from Huzhou, Zhejiang province of the Chinese mainland, will participate in Huzhou Pavilion to showcase their latest green building materials and decorations.
Inaugural Building Performance and BIM zone 

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the hottest development in the building industry. It is a new tool to holistically manage information relating to construction projects from planning stage, to design, construction and operational stages. As BIM has become popular in the sector, BIM Day, co-organised by the Construction Industry Council, will be held on the first day of the fair (29 October). Visitors will learn more about the benefits and applications of BIM through a series of seminars and project presentations. This hopefully will enhance the driving force to the industry. The debut of Building Performance and BIM zone will feature related products and services.
A Wide Array of Top-Notch Products

Everything goes mobile. Through mobile apps, people do not have to stay in the office to manage their work. VHSoft Technologies Co., Ltd.  (Booth no.: 8-H08)  has developed VHSmart™ Mobile Construction management system, allowing users to conduct site inspection, job assignment, task progress monitoring, safety management and asset management on Mobile Phone. Real-time synchronisation facilitates users to review status and performance statistics anytime anywhere.

In addition, Autodesk® Building Design Suite of Synnex Technology International (HK) Limited (Booth no.: 8-H01) provides a portfolio of interoperable building design software that supports BIM- and CAD-based workflows to help professionals design, simulate, visualise, and construct better buildings.

More building materials are added in eco-friendly elements, offering energy saving solutions to modern homes. LTR Tiles (Booth no.: 8-H27) made from a durable, lightweight polycarbonate material is a revolutionary new design for architects and builders. They provide an extremely cost effective and discrete integral clear roofing solution, enabling permanent light and shade plus a natural cooling effect.

Grasp Business Opportunity by Staying Abreast of the Market Trend 

A series of seminars, forums and networking events will be held concurrently with the fair. Professionals in the industry will share their insights with the visitors. Final day of the fair (1 November) will open to the public with the inaugural Ideal Home Mart. Retail sales of selected products will be available. There will be public forums on the topics of “Architecture and Surveying Industry”, “Green-Living‧Modern Home” and “Micro-Living: Small Space, Big Idea”.
The concurrent ninth edition Eco Expo Asia will take place at AsiaWorld-Expo, offering expanded sourcing opportunities for gift and premium buyers. Fair details can be viewed at the fair website：http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkbdh-en

 

Mentioned Product feature:

VHSoft Technologies Co., Ltd. Product zone: Building Performance and BIM Booth no: 8-H08

VHSoft Technologies Co.,
Ltd.
Product zone: Building
Performance and BIM
Booth no: 8-H08

Synnex Technology International (HK) Limited Product zone: Building Performance and BIM Booth no.: 8-H01

Synnex Technology
International (HK) Limited
Product zone: Building
Performance and BIM
Booth no.: 8-H01

LTR Tiles Inc Product zone: Ceiling & Curtain Wall Booth no. 8-H27

LTR Tiles Inc
Product zone: Ceiling &
Curtain Wall
Booth no. 8-H27

New version of BIM solution for architects

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Germany/Munich, 12 November 2013 – Allplan is setting standards in CAD through collaboration, 3D modeling, Cloud and SaaS.

The claim: The best planning tool for architects

Accuracy, speed and cost-effectiveness are the requirements that architects have to meet. The right software solution enables them to exercise the design flexibility and creativity they need to be successful. Allplan was designed with this in mind: Software that is easy to use, ensures smooth collaboration with planning partners and optimizes work processes.

Location-independent collaboration with Allplan 2014
Thanks to the enhanced workgroup functionality, architects can integrate project partners and employees in their working environment across office and company boundaries as though all were working around the same table on the same design. This means location and time-independent access for virtual teams. No “e-mail ping-pong”, no loss of data – everyone works with the most recent version. Access rights are used to define who has what rights in the respective project. Data encryption ensures additional security.

Faster and easier 3D modeling
Allplan 2014 has a new extrusion function to make work with the 3D modeler even more intuitive. As a result, users can easily move or redraw outlines and extrude this vertically in the next step. This is particularly useful in urban design and for the fast “raising“ and changing of cubic volumes in the design process.

Further steps towards Open BIM, Cloud and SaaS
With Allplan 2014, Serviceplus customers also benefit from bim+ and Nevaris as connected SaaS solutions. The cloud solution bim+ with BIM server and innovative apps also enables the interlinking and visualization of Allplan BIM models on mobile devices. The interface to Nevaris is also new. With web-supported processes and cost control in real time, Nevaris is setting new standards for tender, award and billing.

Conclusion: Project work is easier, faster and more cost-effective. Errors are reduced. “With the Allplan BIM solution, our aim is to make the exchange of data and the collaboration between all those involved in the building process as flexible as possible, in the spirit of Open BIM,” says Dr. Jörg Rahmer, CEO Nemetschek Allplan Systems GmbH.

About Nemetschek Allplan
Nemetschek Allplan, with headquarters in Munich/Germany, is one of Europe’s leading BIM (Building Information Modeling) solution providers. A wholly owned subsidiary of Nemetschek AG, Nemetschek Allplan develops powerful software for architects, structural/civil engineers, contractors and facility managers. The core product Allplan provides a flexible and efficient toolset for the seamless planning of visionary architecture and innovative engineering projects. Currently available in 19 languages worldwide, Allplan covers every usage level of a BIM focused CAD system: from straightforward 2D drawings to 3D modeling including quantity take off and cost calculation. It also supports the OpenBIM initiative and the IFC standard to assure interoperability throughout the building life cycle.

For more information, visit www.nemetschek-allplan.com.