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Graphisoft Strengthens Presence in Southeast Asia Amid BIM Demand Surge

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

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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.

 

 

Propelling the Architecture and Construction Industry Forward with Trust and Collaboration

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In recent years, Singapore’s construction industry has gone through continuous transformation focusing on improving productivity, reducing cost, improving safety and creating better jobs as part of the Industry Transformation Map (ITM). ITM is an initiative largely underpinned by digital transformation, launched by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA)in 2017

During the BCA-REDAS Built Environment and Property Prospects Seminar in January 2020, BCA noted that the industry was “making steady progress” towards the agency’s target of having 40 to 60 Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) projects implemented and IDD capabilities in 150 to 180 firms by 2020. IDD uses a collaborative modelling technology called Building Information Modelling (BIM) to capture the 3D virtual representation of buildings and the information required for the construction process,along with advanced Infocomm and smart technologies. It is one of the key thrusts to enable the industry to achieve process improvement and collaboration among project partners.

Streamlining Workflow with Trust and Collaboration

Aside from construction demand reduction, COVID-19 has also put additional pressures on the operating budgets of Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) firms. At the same time, they need to cope with additional health and safety requirements, lesser availability of manpower and opaque market conditions. Inarguably, the road to recovery will be an arduous one. However, if AEC firms can leverage on the power of collaboration to improve productivity, they can ensure that projects can still be delivered on a timely manner, and as such create a more efficient way of working in this new normal.

Large number of collaborators, from architects to engineers, and other stakeholders needs to be involved in every project. Working virtually on projects of any complexity has never been easy, but with the right BIM solutions, it can be. Advanced BIM solutions, such as the GRAPHSOFT Archicad 24, allow for features such as smart change tracking and real-time notifications on relevant changes to the working model, resulting in accurate information that helps with timely decision-making. Enhanced collaboration and communication also means that the numerous stakeholders working on a project can resolve issues faster and reduce the risk of misinformation. Having all members of the team working on a BIM model in one shared design hub also strengthens the team performance and builds trust among members. This collaborative effort leads to better designs through solutions powered by streamlined data management processes.

Most recently, the AEC industry has been leveraging the cloud to enable real-time access to shared model throughout the design process. For example, GRAPHISOFT BIM cloud – available in both private and public cloud configuration – helps ensure that all team members are always up to speed on the latest edits, regardless of the project’s scale or the member’s location. Our clients, especially those with teams working remotely, have found this to be very helpful in improving efficiency and eradicating mistakes. With recently implemented measures to tackle the pandemic, including social distancing and remote working arrangements, the risk of project delays is undoubtedly higher with some firms still grappling to meet the myriad of requirements while having their workflow disrupted. Therefore, it is all the more vital to ensure that we leverage on technology to enhance productivity and collaboration throughout the process.

Paving the Road to Success

There is an increasing need for the AEC industry to work collaboratively so as to quicken the journey to recovery and reap the benefits of digital transformation. While this process may seem daunting and complicated, there are several straightforward steps that firms can adopt to attain success. First they can start with developing a strategic digital roadmap that will harmoniously integrate with the overall business plan. The efficacy of the technology needs to be considered, focusing mainly on competitive edge, productivity improvement, issue rectification and collaboration capability among the project partners.

In addition, there are several options that firms can leverage to upskill their employees and prepare them for the use of BIM software. For instance, GRAPHISOFT Learn offers a growing catalogue that includes on-demand, self-paced lessons, and detailed, instructor-led courses to help users shorten the learning curve, which is exceedingly important with remote working arrangements. Additionally, over the years BIM software has generally evolved to be more user friendly and intuitive.

Open BIM is another modern approach which firms should consider when choosing the most appropriate digital software to adopt. With Open BIM, they can enjoy better accessibility, usability, management and sustainability of built asset’s digital data on top of all the BIM benefits. On top of that, Open BIM is a collaborative process that is vendor-neutral and facilitates seamless collaboration for all project participants.

Finally, the ability to manage risk is essential. There are digital technologies that can help manage risks, and with that firms can locate and isolate issues before they happen. This will undeniably reduce costs and avoid unnecessary delays or rework. These tools can significantly remove the amalgamation of challenges faced by AEC firms due to the pandemic.

With the strain the pandemic has imposed on manpower, finances, health and safety, a progressively trustworthy and collaborative working environment will go a long way towards improving profitability. Firms that have made collaboration and digital transformation pivotal to their strategy will find that they are responding to problems more efficiently and with greater immediacy, thus enabling them to alleviate the impact of today’s business climate and advance towards a smoother recovery.

This piece was written by Chidambaram Chidambaram, Director, Customer Success, GRAPHISOFT, Singapore and Malaysia

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