The Year in a Nutshell — in 2021 We Have
- joined forces with FARO® Technologies,
- grown the team significantly,
- attended 19 virtual and in-person events,
- updated our Construction Progress Management solution with powerful new capabilities,
- celebrated Women In Construction Week,
- been on THE YouTube channel for construction, The B1M, together with ALEC,
- won the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award together with GOLDBECK.
Improving the Way the World Gets Built
How to start a year right? Coming out of 2020, we thought it was a good idea to manifest what we stand for. Some of you might have already seen the result in our video, which shows who we are and what we believe in: Building construction technology that solves hard problems and unlocks potential, with the goal of improving the way the world gets built.
A few months later, in June to be precise, the most exciting development in our history to date happened: HoloBuilder got acquired by FARO Technologies. Joining forces with the global leader of 3D measurement, imaging, and realization solutions was a huge step forward. We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our services and reach exponentially. And it has been exciting and a rewarding experience since day 1: Getting to know so many wonderful and talented new colleagues while becoming part of a large global corporation has truly shaped the second half of the year. Not only have we grown into the bigger FARO team after a very warm welcome, but also the overall number of dedicated people working exclusively on HoloBuilder has grown by more than 30% throughout the year.
Together with FARO, we’ve extended our services and reach exponentially to continue our legacy of innovation to advance the industry.
Meeting the People Who Build the World
This year, physical distancing was (and is) still important and therefore many events and conferences moved to a virtual or hybrid concept. It was great to see what was possible despite restrictions. Never have we held so many fantastic webinars with customers and partners from around the globe. It was a pleasure to be part of 19 events as a sponsor or exhibitor with a virtual booth. Two events stood out as these were the only in-person events for us this year. At IGI Expo and BIM World Munich (make sure to take the 360° tour) we had the pleasure to meet you face to face and show you 360° photo capture in action. This was also the first time we had co-branded booths with FARO.
Left: IGI Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, right: BIM World Munich, Germany
Building Out Software for Capturing the World
Providing you with efficient, easy-to-use construction technology is at the heart of what we do every day. It is our passion to build new features and functionalities based on your valuable feedback and some highlights of what we’ve added in 2021 include: Japanese as a supported language, an integration with Autodesk Construction Cloud, the HoloBuilder App for Microsoft Teams, the GPS Enabled Floor Plans feature, and ContinuousMode in the JobWalk App. Have you tried them all yet? We’d love to hear what you think!
With GPS Enabled Floor Plans we revolutionized the way you capture outdoor projects in 2021. Geo reference any floor plan and unlock a faster, easier, and more precise capture experience for your teams in the field.
One further development that is especially exciting is that our ongoing commitment to security and privacy got recognized with a SOC 2® Type I attestation, as third-party validation that we take security, availability, and confidentiality seriously. And you can be assured that we will continue to provide services that meet the industry’s highest standards.
To protect your data and mitigate risks, we have implemented controls in compliance with the certified SOC 2® Type I standard of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Highlighting Personalities and Projects That Shape the World
In March, one week was dedicated to celebrating and highlighting women as an essential component of the construction industry. We took Women In Construction Week 2021 as an opportunity to share inspiring stories that show how vital women are to the success of building the world we live in. We asked some of our customers, partners, friends, and team members why they got into the AEC industry and how they are utilizing construction technology in their day-to-day work life. A big “thank you” goes out to the women in construction of GOLDBECK, ALEC, Arcadis, JC Van Der Linde and Venter Projects (Pty) Ltd, Kraus-Anderson, and HoloBuilder for sharing their inspiring stories.
Women in Construction Week 2021 was all about showcasing how vital women are to the success of building the world we live in.
Another highlight in March was the collaboration with THE YouTube channel for construction, The B1M, and ALEC. The video that resulted from it has been viewed over 1 million times to date and portrays a true engineering masterpiece: ALEC has lifted the world’s longest cantilever into 100 meters height — over a live roadway — in the heart of Dubai. It is a great example as to why we are humbled by the incredible feats of the construction industry, and we’re extremely proud that our technology supports the project.
In another great collaboration with GOLDBECK that started already a year earlier, we’ve jointly developed a use case for automated construction documentation using 360° photo capture technology, robotics, and AI that we used to apply for the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award. In February 2021, our proposal was selected and announced as the overall winner and later in the year, we got the opportunity to go on-site with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot for a professional video production as a part of the prize. The result is a great video case study that was clearly one of the highlights of 2021.
Winning the Intelligent Manufacturing Award by Microsoft and Roland Berger was a great opportunity to demonstrate that collaboration is key for the successful implementation of technology. It’s a pleasure to be working with GOLDBECK as a partner who is equally excited as we are about the digital future of construction.
Looking Ahead
2021 was one of the most exciting years of our journey, and we would like to thank you for your continued trust, support, and collaboration throughout the past 12 months. Without you, we would not be where we are today and the biggest milestone in our corporate history to date would not have been possible: The opportunity to continue our legacy of innovation to advance the industry as a FARO Technologies company. With FARO as our partner, we are well positioned for an even bigger year 2022. Stay tuned for what’s next — we can’t wait to tell you more and are excited to continue #BuildingTogether with you!
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How was 2021 for your? What was your highlight? Send us your thoughts via email to buildingtogether@holobuilder.com. We are looking forward to hearing from you! Thank you 🙂
