The number of young entrepreneurs in the architecture and real estate industry is very low and there is still too little visibility for startups in this field. In order to change this, ap35 – the agency for architecture marketing – in cooperation with Peter Förster, announces the opening of the STARTUPCORNER at ORGATEC 2018. In addition to representatives of established companies, for the first time startups from the architecture and construction industry will also have their own exhibition area.

A total of 15-20 startups will be selected to present their innovations to the numerous visitors and interested parties at the leading trade fair for modern working environments. The target group are new companies from the fields of architecture, construction and technology, engineering, building management, IT & services and working environments.

In addition to the exhibition space, the STARTUPCORNER incorporates a stage where interesting programs will be offered from October 23rd to 25th. This is ensured by young founders in the form of daily pitches as well as experts and representatives of established companies, who share their opinion, experience and knowledge on current topics in architecture.

At the conclusion of the event all startups will be nominated for the STARTUP AWARD Architecture & Building. This award recognizes pioneering technologies and services that help the construction industry achieve worldwide success.

Startups can apply until 31.08.2018 for a booth at the STARTUPCORNER.

Further information can be found on the homepage www.startupcorner.rocks

The post A New Stage for Startups in Architecture and Construction Business appeared first on Archipreneur.

Over the last decade the AEC industry has seen an emergence of multidisciplinary, tech-savvy firms that are changing the way we design, build and collaborate. These ambitious enterprises are tackling an array of issues that often hamper progress and growth, whether it’s through streamlining workflows, using new media tools or experimenting with new construction methods.

We’ve compiled an eclectic list of 7 most noteworthy tech-oriented startups that are already making an impact on the AEC industry.

Top 7 Architecture and Tech Startups

Flux.io

Flux is a platform that allows AEC professionals to design and build eco-friendly homes by drawing on big data. Architect Michelle Kaufmann teamed up with three ex-Google employees to create this innovative Google moonshoot that applies artificial intelligence to help build architecture that’s durable, environmentally friendly and responsive to users. Kaufmann led several enterprises before founding Flux. She developed a successful business based on building prefab houses inspired by Eichler’s postwar tract housing projects and designs by Charles and Ray Eames. The firm suffered greatly during the 2007 housing market crash, after which she joined Google X as a consultant.

The main idea behind Flux is to radically lower the cost and improve the quality of building worldwide. It’s a platform that allows all members of the building-making community to seamlessly share data. Its first product, Flux Metro, gathers information about zoning and local ordinances. It also provides cloud-based collaboration between contractors, engineers and architects and simplifies file transfers and data conversion. In 2015, the company raised $29 million in Series B funding co-led by Temasek and Surbana Jurong Private Limited.

UpCodes

UpCodes is a platform that makes it easy for architects, designers and engineers to research building codes and requirements in order to make code compliance easier. This includes codes at the federal, state and local level, as well as specific codes in areas like plumbing, electrical wiring and fire safety. It is accessible via website and mobile app and currently provides resources for 40 U.S. states and has grown to over 44,000 monthly active users, which include architects, engineers, building inspectors and homeowners. UpCodes streamlines codes into a library, described by the company as “the most advanced search engine built for the construction industry”.

Prior to starting UpCodes, brothers Scott Reynolds and Garrett Reynolds worked in architecture and software engineering, respectively. Renowned firms like Foster + Partners, FxFowle, and Skidmore, Owings & Merril use UpCodes. The startup is currently taking part in Y Combinator based in Silicon Valley.

RateGravity

Two ex-community bankers launched a Boston startup that matches homebuyers with low-interest mortgages, while cutting out the middle man. The tool uses an algorithm to calculate what kind of mortgage or loan homeowners are eligible for. RateGravity streamlines the decision-making process for people looking to buy real estate or refinance their homes. It connects them to a number of lenders and eliminates the need for a salesperson for a fee that’s much smaller than that which loan officers usually get.

The company recently raised a financing round of over $2 million, with investors like Evertrue co-founder and CEO Brent Grinna and BOSS Syndicate, an AngelList syndicate run by Cambridge venture capital firm Accomplice. According to BostInno, RateGravity has connected over 150 people with $40 million in approved mortgages over a single year. The service is on its way to revolutionize the way real estate works, and we’re excited to see how they do in the years to come.

ENVELOPE

ENVELOPE, led by MIT’s Sarah Williams, developed a data-driven software under the auspices of SHoP. It mitigates the negative effects the spreading of information through the industry has on prices of real estate. It provides developers with privacy while they speculate, and analyzes zoning to help real estate professionals develop optimal solutions and predict development potentials.

The SaaS company, launched in late 2015, recently announced a $2 million round of financing by investors from the real estate and tech industries. It is also developing Camera, a data analysis program that provides real-time info on the state of urban infrastructure in order to facilitate the use of self-driving vehicles. The company seems to be at the forefront of adapting to the automation trend.

Black Spectacles

Marc Teer, licensed architect and former instructor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, founded Black Spectacles after going through various online learning resources himself. He realized that there was a business opportunity in tailoring specific lessons to architects. He first reached out to various industry experts in order to see if there is enough interest. After getting positive responses from some of the world’s leading architecture firms, Teer decided to create the Black Spectacles platform.

This 7-person startup targets specifically architects with its offering of classes for the industry’s most popular software and tools. The platform offers more than a dozen classes on different design tools, as well as a preparation course and test prep suite for the Architect Registration Examination, developed in partnership with the American Institute of Architects. The team behind Black Spectacles tries to simplify the workload and break down courses into smaller parts. Around 40 percent of the world’s top 50 architecture clients use the services provided by Black Spectacles.

Cover

Startup called Cover Technologies Inc., launched in 2014, designs and builds energy-efficient, affordable housing units using the firm’s proprietary building system and design optimization software. As dwelling units become increasingly popular, Cover’s software provides something other firms offering prefab units don’t–versatility– and eliminates the need for coordinating with architects, planning departments, and contractors. This brings modular architecture to a whole different level.

The software allows users to search for the types of accessory units they are permitted to build according to local regulations, and generate design options based on survey answers. Cover’s prefab homes and plans are currently available only in Los Angeles, but the firm is already taking reservations worldwide. They recently raised $1.6 million in seed funding from General Catalyst and Khosla Ventures.

Source – Architizer

Source is the new offshoot of Architizer, which started off as a community and portfolio site for architects and designers. Since its launch, 40,000 architecture firms have uploaded over 120,000 projects with an average price tag of $33 million. Its founders, Marc Kushner and Mathias Hollwich, built this huge database of projects and firms and are now developing what is touted as “the Amazon for architects”. Source aims to connect architects with product vendors and material manufactures in a large online marketplace.

Source has already garnered new investments from architects, including Bjarke Ingels and Jurgen Mayer H, and features renowned participants like Studio Gang and SHoPArchitects. Last year, Architizer received $7 million in Series A financing.

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What other architecture and tech startups do you think will make an impact on the profession in the coming years?

The post 7 Inspiring Startups Combining Architecture and Tech appeared first on Archipreneur.

We’ve compiled a list of 10 emerging architecture studios that are already making an impact on the built environment and show the potential to continue to innovate, affect social change and explore new design approaches.

EVA Studio

London-based research and design practice, EVA Studio, is only three years old, but is already making a strong impact in areas with displaced communities throughout the world. Their work in Haiti, in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Matthew, is helping local communities to recover and rebuild. EVA Studio’s eight projects in Haiti–community spaces, houses and educational facilities– are built sensibly using locally available materials. They collaborate with local governments and grassroots organizations in implementing their designs and draw on vernacular architecture to respond to specific problems and scenarios.

The team includes professionals experienced in working for renowned practices such as Massimiliano Fuksas. Between London and Port-au-Prince, the practice has a team of over ten designers and field architects, with different backgrounds and a wide experience and expertise in public and social projects. The firm has been shortlisted as the AR Emerging Architecture firm this year.

IF_DO

London-based design studio IF_DO is taking UK’s architecture scene by storm. Their Dulwich Pavilion was the centerpiece of this year’s London Festival of Architecture and will be rebuilt in the playground of a local primary school. The pavilion, nominated for AJ Architecture Award, which showcases the very best built projects in the UK, was developed with engineers StructureMode and built by fabricators Weber Industries using a relatively small budget of just over £100,000.

The emerging architecture firm already has a number of notable renovation and refurbishment projects in its portfolio, and uses prefab construction and affordable materials to create vibrant, flexible spaces. The studio has recently released proposals for the 10-year transformation of the headquarters of internationally acclaimed designer Joseph Walsh Studio in Cork.

Hou de Sousa

New York-based Hou de Sousa has had a very successful 2016, during which it won several competitions. The series of notable projects continued in 2017, with the firm winning the 2nd Prize at The National Museum of World Writing in Songdo, South Korea and becoming a finalist in the competition for Public sculpture in Sarasota, Florida. Hou de Sousa previously transformed 650,000 three-inch, translucent plastic balls from the National Building Museum’s Beach exhibit into a transformable assembly block system. They also won the 2016 Socrates Sculpture Park Folly Competition in New York with their adaptable proposal, Sticks.

The emerging architecture firm’s projects are playful and unconventional. They work on an array of diverse projects that capture the attention of the public as well as the architecture community.

The LADG

Los Angeles-based emerging architecture company The LADG, established in 2004 by Andrew Holder & Claus Benjamin Freyinger, works across typologies and scales and has a number of completed projects in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and the United Kingdom. The firm’s co-principal, Andrew Holder, is assistant professor of architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, which goes to show that the connection with the academia can reinforce a young studio’s creative engagement.

The LADG is the winner of the 2014 Architectural League Prize, one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young architects and designers. Their recently completed art installation at the GSD explored concepts of the picturesque in contemporary architecture. LADG’s sensible renovation of a split-level single-family house the Silverlake neighborhood in Los Angeles captured the attention of both the architecture community and media. We look forward to seeing what they come up with in 2018.

dRMM de Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects

UK emerging architecture firm dRMM has won this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize with its redevelopment of the iconic Hastings Pier in the UK. Their minimalist intervention transformed the surviving Victorian Pavilion into an open plan, glazed café-bar, with a timber-clad visitor center and viewing deck on its roof. The project has been lauded for its flexibility and absence of grand architectural gestures.

Among the firm’s other notable projects in Maggie’s Oldham– the first permanent building constructed from sustainable tulipwood cross-laminated timber. The firm collaborated with AHEC and Arup to develop this innovative material, which demonstrates its nimbleness and scope of interests. Another successful project by dRMM is the Clapham Manor Primary School, a lovely building informed by post war system-built schools and the surrounding brick buildings.

AOR

Helsinki-based AOR (Aarti Ollila Ristola), the practice behind the floating Viewpoint in London’s King’s Cross has won several architecture competitions since their angular canal-side platform where visitors can make contact with London’s canal-side wildlife. The firm represents the best trends in Finland’s current state of transition.

AOR has also been selected following an open competition for the extension of Tampere Art Museum, in Finland. The new extension for Tampere Art Museum aims to create a landmark for the museum articulating the urban landscape between Pyynikintori square and the park surrounding the current museum.

Materia

Emerging Mexican practice Materia was founded by Gustavo Carmona and Lisa Beltran in 2006 as a multi-disciplinary team. The firm has completed projects across the world in a range of scales and typologies, including residential, cultural, interiors and hospitality to high-end retail and historic preservation. Their most notable projects include Casa U, located in the suburbs of Mexico City, a business center in Veracruz, and the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Mexico City.

The emerging architecture firm has recently completed a beautiful pavilion for the 9th edition of Design Week Mexico. The structure, nestled within Mexico City’s largest public green space, Chapultepec Park, served as a major cultural attraction during the event from October 11th—15th. As a multi-disciplinary studio, Materia focuses on “the creation of atmospheres expressed through the thoughtful craft of materials and detail.”

Mole Architects

British studio Mole Architects often collaborate with other studios, which young archipreneurs can see as a great way of breaking into the industry and creating valuable contacts. The studio teamed up with MVRDV in designing their Balancing Barn project as the first of five homes from Alain de Botton’s Living Architecture project– a series of holiday homes around the UK designed by established and emerging architects. Another collaboration, this time with Norwegian Architects Jarmund/Vigsnæs resulted in the two-story Dune House located on the seafront in Suffolk, England.

Mole Architects participated in The Greenwich Design District project, the next phase in London’s largest single regeneration initiative, and received recognition at the World Architecture Festival in 2017 for their HouseBoat project in Dorset, designed for developer Solidspace.

BLDGS

Founded in 2006, Atlanta-based firm BLDGS has completed both new and adaptive reuse projects that have garnered them recognition as a distinct design voice that can significantly influence the architectural profession. Brian Bell and David Yocum founded BLDGS 10 years ago, and have crafted a compelling architectural approach to adaptive reuse interventions and projects, exemplified by their recently finished Congregation Or Hadash Synagogue, for which they won an AIA South Atlantic Region Honor Award.  Beyond adaptive reuse, the re-thinking and re-presenting of existing relationships has led to more complex responses for their ground-up projects as well.

The emerging architecture firm is currently restoring a building for Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Van Leer Interdisciplinary Design Commons, and recently completed an invited competition for Georgia Tech’s new Campus Center, working with design-build team partners DPR Construction, Mackey Mitchell Architects, HILLWORKS, FRONT, Transsolar, Newcomb & Boyd, Uzun+Case, Eberly, and many others. BLDGS is one among 8 emerging firms honored by the Architectural League of New York, which spotlights emerging North American firms that have the potential to influence architecture’s trajectory in coming years.

SO-IL

New York City-based emerging architecture practice SO-IL embraces diversity. Their recent projects include the Kukje Art Gallery in Seoul; the 2012 Frieze Art Fair tent in New York City; the Linked Community Center in Wulpen, the Netherlands; and, “Tri-colonnade,” an installation at the 2011 Shenzhen Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale in Shenzhen, China.

For the Place Mazas competition which called for proposals to reinvent the Seine river in Paris, SO–IL and Paris-based Laisne Roussel partnered with French real estate developers REI Habitat and Icade to design a project that has a fresh approach to urbanism. The winning design transformed the underused site of Place Mazas into a new social node for Paris.

SO–IL and artist Ana Prvački participated at the Chicago Architecture Biennial titled “Making New History,” and debuted a project that raised questions about the impact of progress on the wellbeing of our cities. SO-IL co-founder Jing Liu is a finalist for the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture, which in association with The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal, recognizes architects using innovative architecture to effect social change.

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What other architecture startups do you think will make an impact on the profession in 2018?

The post 10 Best Emerging Architecture Firms in 2017 appeared first on Archipreneur.

Starting a company can be extremely stressful. Fresh graduates, freelancers and directly employed architects looking to create startups face various initial obstacles and need to have a clear view of the operating model for their businesses. They have to choose where to cut costs, which can relate to choice of location, office space and limited living expenses.

Following the guidelines of The Lean Startup method – popularized by author and entrepreneur Eric Ries – can be very beneficial for the early phase of a company’s development. This can mean focusing on budget-friendly setups, and creating businesses on the idea of developing products and productizing design services. Being part of an entrepreneurial community can also influence the way owners grow their businesses, as it provides opportunities to establish valuable contacts and partnerships.

We have compiled a list for 6 startup hubs in Europe, which includes established centers for entrepreneurship as well as cities emerging as exciting new places for experimentation at the intersection of digital technology and architecture.

#1 London

London is Europe’s number one start-up hotspot focused mostly on digital creatives and businesses. The UK’s capital is also proving to be a great place for emerging architecture firms. While it has some of the highest real estate prices in the world – something that can be tricky to navigate for start-ups – the soaring house prices and a deepening housing shortage in London is proving to be the right impetus for architects to develop unusual design solutions. Awkwardly shaped sites and infill lots are being eyed as opportunities for innovation.

The emergence of “infill architecture” is allowing less established firms to creatively apply their ideas in real world. We’ve already seen London-based startups like Assemble, who has received a huge amount of attention thanks to their entrepreneurial attitude to architecture. They have won the famous Turner Prize with their Granby Four Streets project, an urban regeneration initiative to preserve and revive a cluster of Victorian-era terraced houses in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Another London-based start-up, the Photon Project, tackles the idea of modular architecture and wellbeing. The firm plans to build what it claims to be the world’s first all-glass, modular residential structure designed to address the benefits of natural light on human health. The proposal is part of the Photon Project, a four-year study on the biological effects of daylight in the built environment and that aims to gather evidence to support improvements in how building occupants live and work.

#2 Berlin

Berlin is an established startup hub, and currently the one of the best cities to launch a new business. Innovators are drawn to Berlin as one of Europe’s most international cities where cheaper living costs allow entrepreneurs to save money and invest it into building better products and hiring great people. Berlin is a relatively affordable city compared to the rest of the country, as well as other European capitals such as London or Stockholm.

It offers co-working spaces and hubs such as the Factory Berlin, a startup campus in Berlin-Mitte that brings the best technology businesses together with early stage startups and talents by providing an outstanding work environment, a curated community of founders, and high-quality events.

#3 Amsterdam

Along with London and Berlin, Amsterdam is one of the largest startup hubs in Europe. Its multicultural population and business-friendly environment, along with ample opportunities for startups to get mentoring make it a great environment for archipreneurs. The city’s budding startup scene is dominated by software development, smart energy and 3D-printing, among others.

One of the most prominent accelerators in the Netherlands is based in Amsterdam. Startupbootcamp, founded by Patrick De Zeeuw, Alex Farcet, Carsten Kolbeck, and Ruud Hendriks in 2010, focuses on “smart city and living space” solutions, smart energy and smart building. The recently launched Sharing City initiative that connects startups with the corporate world through city facilities. Dutch company MX3D plans to 3D-print an entire bridge in Amsterdam in collaboration with Autodesk and construction and civil engineering company Heijmans.

#4 Lisbon

Affordable rent, low-cost living and a growing startup scene are attracting young creatives to Lisbon, where a vibrant entrepreneurial community is exploding. While Portugal’s government is working to recover the country from the last economic crisis, startups and digital nomads are using various tax incentives to set up their offices in Lisbon. According to results from data comparison site Numbeo, rent prices in Lisbon are almost 70% lower than in London and overall cost of living is almost 50% lower in Lisbon by comparison.

The surplus of empty buildings has introduced low rents and living costs. This, coupled with a growing ecosystem of entrepreneurship, is perfect for startups whose businesses often have low or no revenue in initial phases of operation. Here, designers work on revitalizing abandoned buildings, build temporary structures and co-working spaces out of shipping containers. Lisbon has received the name of Europe’s most entrepreneurial region for 2015, with numerous startups, venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators providing great opportunities to creatives.

#5 Dublin

Several up-and-coming architecture firms and an array of startup funding and support programs dominate new Irish architecture. As a gateway to world markets, Dublin is well connected to the rest of Europe, but offers a smaller number of office spaces, which are also more costly, compared to Lisbon. However, the city boosts favorable low-tax regime and a supportive environment for startups.

Ireland has already attracted a huge level of foreign direct investment, particularly from the USA. Several American companies have chosen Ireland because of its pro-business environment, especially in the tech industry. Those working at the intersection between digital technology and architecture will love this emerging startup hub.

For example, FenestraPro is a technology company based in Dublin, Ireland, which provides cloud-based software tools for architects to optimize design of building façades. FenestraPro is an authorized developer with Autodesk Revit and also works closely with some of the leading architectural practices and industry experts. Its co-founder Dave Palmer – architectural technologist by trade and former DIT lecturer in the School of Architecture – started the company in 2012 alongside Simon Whelan after the pair had run their own firm for several years.

#6 Prague

Startup hubs are on the rise in Eastern European countries. Governments are building infrastructure and public VC funds that support startup hubs. This growth is expected to continue through the creation of new accelerators, co-working spaces, mentoring opportunities and reliable funding options. Prague is great place to be an entrepreneur, and an investor. Because of the lack of major competitors, the city is ideal for smaller companies and teams, supported by incubators and accelerators fostering talent.

One of the long-term initiatives that acts as an idea incubator is the Negrelli Viaduct project, organized by CCEA in 2013. It focuses on the new use of the spaces under the famous viaduct, merging urbanism, architecture and art. The CCEA initiated the project in the past few years, together with partners from the public and private sectors. In 2016, the project was supported by the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme.

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Do you have first hand experiences working as an archipreneur in any of these cities? What other emerging startup hubs do you think could appeal to archipreneurs?

The post Booming Cities: 6 European Startup Hubs for Architects appeared first on Archipreneur.

This week’s interview is with Gilad Rosenzweig, the executive director of DesignX – the venture accelerator of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, that we introduced to you in last week’s article “How Startup Accelerator DesignX Turns Architecture Students into Entrepreneurs”.

There has always been something of a gap between architectural education and practice. This is no secret for the architectural community and we have heard it in our interview series Archipreneur Insights over and over: both employers and students feel that architecture schools do not adequately prepare students for professional life.

The School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) at MIT is breaking this pattern with their newly launched entrepreneurship accelerator DesignX. It helps architecture students become archipreneurs while still at school by providing a platform for developing business models, pitching and funding projects.

Continue reading to learn how this program can help students make the critical leap from project to startup.

Enjoy the interview!

You are the Executive Director of the new MIT DesignX Accelerator. Could you tell us about the idea of DesignX, its focus and future goals?

DesignX is an accelerator for student-founded ventures in various fields of design and the built environment. It is a launching ground for new technology and platforms that improve the comfort, accessibility, and efficiency of buildings, places, and cities. Our goal is to be a nexus of technology, design, and planning.

How can students join DesignX?

Graduate and post-graduate students in the School of Architecture and Planning apply for our yearly cohort in the autumn semester. Students from other departments across MIT, as well as faculty, researchers, alum, and even unaffiliated members can join student-led teams.

Do you think that there’s a knowledge gap in architecture education? What do you think are the main weaknesses of the current educational model in architecture?

Architectural education often lacks two important components: business skills and openness to an entrepreneurial inventiveness that is not focused on singular design. Having said that, there are many programs, including ours here at MIT, that do support exploration into building technology and environmental systems.

How do you think architectural training helps students to create business ideas and found companies? What specific/transferable skills have proved the most useful?

Architecture students are always iterating, instructed to think outside the box and use their design skills to solve problems. These are in fact the core elements of a business startup!

The proliferation of “design thinking” tools and methodologies developed out of schools of architecture, industrial and graphic design. We just need to re-direct these inherent skills of designers toward the creation of new business and companies that can scale.

Do you have any advice for Archipreneurs who are interested in starting their own business?

Identify opportunities that are emerging and problems that need to be solved for which design can be part of the solution. Your expertise in understanding space, emotion, and the environment can be used to create innovative solutions.

How do you see the future of the architectural profession? In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major opportunities for up and coming architects?

Architecture will always be central to the growth of cities, housing of people and celebration of life. However, the profession needs to be cognizant that the power of emerging technologies can disrupt the profession. Machine learning and AI will soon be employed for design decisions and production. Architects have the best experience and position to design the future of the profession itself. Architects will need to be creators of technology and the writers of code, not just the users.

About Gilad Rosenzweig

Gilad Rosenzweig is an architect and urban planner with two decades of experience in community development, urban tech, and the design of things big and small.

He is the executive director of DesignX – the venture accelerator of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. DesignX launches new startups creating innovation in design, cities, and the built environment.

Prior to DesignX, Gilad founded Smarter in the City, a non-profit accelerator for high tech start-ups in Roxbury, an inner-city neighborhood of Boston. Smarter in the City supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, connecting new startups to the tech sector and helping spur economic development in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

Gilad has worked on urban design and planning projects across the country, including district and master plans in Memphis, Reno, and across the greater Boston area. As an architect, he designed residential and commercial projects in Canada, Israel and the UK.

Gilad is a graduate of MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

The post Closing the Gap in Architecture Education – Interview with DesignX Accelerator appeared first on Archipreneur.