LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- Jul 17, 2012 -- Gehry Technologies (GT), a global leader in developing and applying technology to the building industry, today announced the free preview availability of GTeam™, a cloud-based 3D, file management and project collaboration platform purpose-built for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry professionals and building owners. GTeam enables project teams, including architects, designers, engineers, contractors, consultants, and building owners, to easily collaborate and share documents, files, and 3D building information data from any device with a web browser. Project teams use GTeam to reach consensus faster, reduce change orders, save time, get more work, and reduce project costs. Owners and large enterprises with one or many buildings under management can also use GTeam as a centralized BIM data storage platform to easily identify, consolidate, and organize as-built documents of all existing and future buildings.
"My team and I rely on a technology-driven approach that is deeply rooted in collaboration to rationalize our design, fabrication, and construction processes," says Frank Gehry, founder of Gehry Partners, LLP and co-founder of Gehry Technologies. "I am proud to have contributed to the creation of technology that will facilitate better communication and collaboration in building." By working directly in a shared 3D digital environment and collaborating across disciplines to bring fabrication expertise forward into design, Gehry used the technology now resident in GTeam to deliver structures such as 8 Spruce Street in New York City and the Fondation Louis Vuitton Museum now under construction in Paris (which was recently awarded AIA's prestigious BIM Excellence award).
GTeam is web-based, providing immediate, on-demand access to project data from desktop or mobile devices. Teams can visually manage any kind of data, including 2D drawings, 3D models, PDF files and other documents, spreadsheets, schedules, and pictures. The platform offers a centralized, detailed view into project events and history with a user experience akin to widely-used social media platforms. "GTeam provides a unique setting for AEC professionals to work collaboratively toward the realization of their best designs," says Ben van Berkel, co-founder of UNStudio and part of the strategic alliance formed by GT to transform the building industry through technology. "UNStudio is very excited to finally have a platform like GTeam and we are actively using the system to collaborate more effectively with our global design and construction partners."
Over the past six months hundreds of companies have already been using GTeam in a private offering, including COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, Gehry Partners, Greg Lynn Form, HOK, OLIN, Safdie Architects, The Pike Company, UNStudio, and Zahner. Greg Schleusner, firm-wide BIM manager at HOK, ranked the #1 Architecture/Engineering Firm by both Building Design & Construction and Engineering News-Record states, "The GTeam platform delivers on our online project collaboration needs and is much easier to use than all other solutions." With the official introduction of GTeam, these customers have now deployed the platform on some of the world's largest building projects. The Pike Company, a midsized family-owned commercial builder, is also using GTeam on over 15 projects. "We are having tremendous success using GTeam on our projects," says Tim Porter, BIM manager at The Pike Company. "It really does open up a whole new aspect to team collaboration."
Unlike other collaboration solutions, GTeam has been developed from the ground up to meet the needs of BIM teams, with an open platform that enables collaboration regardless of the authoring tools being used by the individual participants. GTeam automatically translates 3D files from industry-standard software (such as AutoCAD, Revit, Digital Project, Rhino, and SketchUp) to a common format, allowing teams to easily use and share 3D BIM models for visualization and coordination even with project personnel who do not have the native modeling software. Users can open multiple models together in the same viewer and filters can be used to display select parts of the model. Its advanced online 3D features include clash detection, live sectioning, measuring and onboard custom reporting of BIM data -- helping teams quickly get the most out of 3D project models.
Inspired by Gehry's vision of collaboration, GTeam was created specifically for AEC professionals using a 3D centric approach for project delivery. "GTeam embodies decades of hands-on project experience and the practical application of collaborative technology to deliver complex architectural projects," says Dennis Shelden, co-founder and CTO of Gehry Technologies. "It offers professional-grade secure sharing of project data, including the entire social and transactional history of the project. Packaging our experience, as well as the feedback of our initial GTeam customers, into the GTeam offering and making it available to individuals and companies of all sizes is truly a milestone for our company."
Other key features of GTeam include powerful file preview, desktop synchronization, and security management. Instant preview capabilities lets users quickly view a thumbnail version of a document and rotate 3D models to make sure they are selecting the right file prior to download or distribution. Desktop file synchronization helps ensure that individual changes are quickly and automatically shared with the entire team so that everyone is working with up-to-date project information. Industrial-strength security and role-based access features are specially designed for AEC teams that span different companies and locations.
For more information on GTeam or to sign up for the subscription-free preview of GTeam, with full access to the product and no user, project, or data storage restrictions, visit www.gteam.com.
About Gehry Technologies
Gehry Technologies (GT) provides Web-based 3D project collaboration and building information modeling (BIM) technology as well as advanced project delivery services to leading owners, architects, engineers, general contractors, fabricators, and other building industry professionals worldwide. GT solutions enable more effective communication; increase creativity and control; reduce project risks, costs, and completion times; and improve processes and decisions through collaboration, project visibility, and information access. Gehry Technologies is privately held, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Seoul, and Sydney. For more information about Gehry Technologies, visit www.gehrytech.com.