About BIMobject
A global marketplace for the construction industry.
We can’t go on building like we do today. BIMobject is on a mission to digitalise construction for a more sustainable future.
We’re a global marketplace for the construction industry that provides architects and engineers with the information and inspiration they need to design buildings faster, smarter and greener. With 2,000+ building product brands and 100 of the world’s top 100 architect firms among our users, we power digital building design worldwide.
BIMobject was founded in 2011, and is headquartered in Malmo, Sweden. We’re listed on the NASDAQ First North Growth Market (ticker BIM) and our largest owners include EQT Ventures, Swedbank Robur, TIN Fonder and our founders. In 2020, the company had 173 employees and revenues of SEK 137 million.
Business Model
BIMobject’s business model is based on connecting construction industry professionals designing buildings and infrastructure with relevant manufacturers of building products. Our revenues derive from the manufacturers, who pay to have their products published and marketed on bimobject.com, and for the service of creating the BIM files needed.
In 2020, 74% of revenues derived from the platform and the remaining 26% from services. Virtually all platform revenues are recurring in nature.
Users: The AECO Industry
Our users are building industry professionals - architects, engineers, construction companies and property owners & operators ("AECOs") - worldwide. We provide them the inspiration and information they need to design faster, smarter and greener.
We currently have 4+ millions registered users, including users from 100 of the world's 100 largest architecture firms. On average, a new product file is downloaded every second from our two web sites bimobject.com and polantis.com.
Customers: Building Product Manufacturers
BIMobject's customers are building product manufacturers, such as Roca, Ardex, Velux and Assa Abloy. They use our platform to reach, understand and influence building designers worldwide in order to get their products specified and win new business.
It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 building product manufacturers within the markets in which we operate, out of which 2,000 are currently listed on our platform. McKinsey estimates that the construction product market is worth between USD 2-3 trillion globally. Assuming manufacturers spend an average of 2 percent of revenue on product marketing, this would indicate a total addressable market of approximately EUR 50 billion.
Building a better world.
The world is experiencing the greatest process of urbanisation in human history.
New homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals are being built at the rate of one New York City every month. For the people of the world, this carries the hope of a better life.
At the same time, construction poses an enormous environmental threat. Buildings and new construction account for 40 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. We cannot continue to build like we do today.
We believe there is a way. Digitalisation makes it possible to build a better world, one that is sustainable, functional and beautiful. BIM – Building Information Modelling – is the technological revolution that will take us there.
We believe building better should be easy. So we are creating a place where all the people and products in our industry can come together to change construction for a sustainable future.
A digital revolution in construction.
At the end of the 1900s, construction design gradually evolved from hand-drawn plans to computer-aided design (CAD). However, these drawings were still primarily visual representations, which made it difficult for different players to work collaboratively and share construction project information.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) brought the building industry into the Information Age. BIM enables the creation of a shared data model available for all concerned; from the designers of the building to the construction company, and finally the property owners and managers.
Architects and construction engineers use BIM to create 3D models of a complete and furnished building. These models can also contain forward-looking information related to the life cycle of the building and its expected maintenance requirements. Information such as time planning (4D) and cost estimates (5D) bring additional dimensions to BIM models. BIM models can be combined with AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to achieve more modern and effective visualisations.
Today there are millions of active BIM users across the globe. The majority of them use software such as Revit (Autodesk), MicroStation (Bentley) and Graphisoft Archicad, Allplan and Vectorworks (all part of Nemetschek Group).
A green revolution.
Buildings – the world’s largest source of carbon dioxide emissions
The global construction industry accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. Emissions from cement alone are several times higher than all the world’s aviation emissions.
The increasing urbanisation rate deepens the industry’s negative impact on the climate. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 about two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities. To accommodate that population, we need to build an entire New York City every single month. In the future, buildings will need to be designed in a smarter way that takes space and resource constraints into account.
The impact of BIM
In many cases, procurement processes, project planning and design are still performed on paper or using CAD. Traditional work processes often lead to expensive and unnecessary information gaps between architects, builders and clients.
Numerous research reports reinforce the economic, process-related and environmental benefits of digitalisation through BIM. Architects and engineers are able to digitally analyse design choices and consequences during the design phase, thus eliminating errors and ambiguities in the design. In addition, it facilitates faster application of new methods. Construction companies can improve efficiency and cut waste during the construction phase and also digitally send important information about the building to property managers.
A key element in the sustainability agenda
This development is driven by government strategies. According to statistics from 2017, there were then at least 26 countries, including the USA and many EU countries, that had either introduced or planned to introduce BIM mandates. Usually, these requirements arise in connection to public procurement procedures. In 2016, for example, the UK introduced the BIM framework for centrally procured public construction projects. The adoption of BIM continues to increase for every year.