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Lucas Hayden of Unanet explores how AI can reduce busywork, connect AEC business systems, and help firms make faster, better-informed decisions.

The Busywork Disappears, Not the People: Unanet on AI in AEC

Technology leaders from Flad Architects, NBBJ, and Stantec on how architecture firms move AI past experiments into governed, repeatable practice that augments professional teams.

How Leading Architecture Firms Are Moving AI From Pilots to Everyday Practice

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<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/61d0ceef-f5e6-476c-99ba-639f5cd60ebc.png" alt="" width="1080">
The client loves the scheme, then asks what the facade looks like in brick instead of stone, and the meeting stalls because the only honest answer is "let me render that and get back to you." Every architect knows that stall.&nbsp;
At AEC+Tech, we've watched the AEC tools we cover get very good at making the picture look real. What's changing now is where that picture sits in the process, moving from documentation into the decision itself.&nbsp;
For most of the last decade, progress in architectural visualization has been measured in image quality. Physically accurate lighting, richer material systems, and real-time ray tracing have closed much of the gap between a render and a photograph. What used to count as exceptional is now the baseline clients expect.
Rendering has improved fast. One part of the workflow has barely moved.
Design reviews still lean on static images, pre-rendered animations, and fixed camera paths. Those outputs record decisions well enough, but they sit outside the conversation. The moment a meeting turns toward a different material, a new lighting condition, or an alternate scheme, the presentation stalls while someone prepares fresh visuals elsewhere.
That gap matters more as practice becomes more collaborative. Clients, consultants, engineers, and developers now weigh in across the whole design process, not only at the end. Meetings have turned into working sessions where decisions take shape in the room. The way architecture gets presented has to keep up with that.
So visualization is starting to play a different part. Beyond the final picture, it is becoming a medium for discussion, comparison, and decisions made on the spot. The next step forward may be interaction as much as realism.
Every architect knows the moment a client asks to see it another way and the room goes quiet waiting on new visuals. D5 says 3.1 closes that gap, and will <a href="https://www.d5render.com/webinars/whats-new-in-d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prove it live on July 21</a>
<h2 dir="ltr">Answer "Can We See It Another Way?" On the Spot&nbsp;</h2>
This is the thinking behind <a href="https://bit.ly/d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D5 3.1.</a>
Plenty of tools compete on how convincing the picture looks. Fewer ask what happens to it once a room full of stakeholders starts pushing back.&nbsp;
The release starts from a practical question: how does visualization stay useful once the meeting starts?
D5's answer is Interactive Presentation, a workflow that lets architects organize a review like a slide deck while keeping the live project open behind it.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/764404fa-3db9-4d3c-b9ec-9e36afea816e.png" alt="Interactive Presentation enables real-time scene switching with slides and 3D triggers." width="1080">
<figcaption>Interactive Presentation enables real-time scene switching with slides and 3D triggers.</figcaption>
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Instead of preparing several image sets or separate animations ahead of time, teams can move between design schemes, materials, lighting, weather, viewpoints, and object visibility inside a single presentation. A question that used to interrupt the review can be explored right away. Real-time scene switching runs through slides and 3D triggers, so the flow of the meeting holds together.
The presentation becomes a working space for the design, one the team can steer as the discussion moves.
<h2 dir="ltr">Let Clients Walk the Space Before It Exists&nbsp;</h2>
Interactive Presentation sits inside a wider set of tools aimed at making review more interactive and easier to adapt to the room.
Stereoscopic Panorama brings depth-aware panoramic views to VR, which helps clients and project teams read scale, materials, and how spaces relate to one another. Better VR navigation and controller handling make VR walkthroughs steady enough for everyday reviews rather than occasional demos.
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Spatial Tour has moved along too, with faster scene generation, smoother transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces, and dollhouse views that make it simpler to move through a complicated project.
These tools sit alongside still renders and animations and widen the options, so a team can pick the right way to explore a design based on the audience, the project stage, and what the review needs to settle.
<h2 dir="ltr">Start Seeing the Design the Moment You Model It&nbsp;</h2>
The quality of any review depends on everything that happens before it.
As visualization gets pulled deeper into design work, architects increasingly want to test ideas while those ideas are still moving, instead of waiting for documentation to finish. In that sense, presentation begins earlier than the slide deck. It begins when a team first tries out form, light, material, atmosphere, and how a space feels to move through.
In practice, the visual thinking usually happens long before anyone opens presentation software, and tools have been slow to meet designers there.&nbsp;
That continuity reaches past D5 Render itself. After its earlier <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/sketchup">SketchUp</a> release, D5 Lite now works inside Rhino and <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/revit">Revit</a>, bringing real-time visualization into more of the tools architects already use. Designers can preview materials, lighting, and visual direction without leaving the modeling environment, which supports quicker exploration during concept work, massing studies, facade development, and iterative testing.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/faae324a-8c58-4578-aac2-06f9faac39b1.png" alt="D5 Lite: Visualize projects directly inside Rhino, Revit and Sketchup" width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-724231" data-gramm="false">
Start in D5 Lite, finish in D5 Render, without switching tools
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D5 Lite is built for that early work, making design decisions more visual from the start. When a project needs higher-end imagery, animation, or an interactive presentation, the work carries on into D5 Render. Paired with Cloud Collaboration, distributed teams can review and share work with less reliance on manual file swaps or local hardware, which keeps things continuous from concept through client review.
<h2 dir="ltr">Photoreal That Holds Up When Clients Look Closely&nbsp;</h2>
As presentations get more interactive, the visuals behind them matter even more. A live scene only works if it holds up when someone leans in.
D5 Render 3.1 adds a set of production-focused improvements that strengthen realism while keeping real-time response.&nbsp;
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/84679fde-46df-4239-985d-65e93278fb1f.png" alt="ACEScg Color Space preserves richer HDR color detail and supports professional ACES workflows" width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-926652" data-gramm="false">ACEScg Color Space preserves richer HDR color detail and supports professional ACES workflows</figcaption>
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The move to an ACEScg working color space brings in a production-grade color pipeline, the kind used in film and visual effects, which improves color consistency across visualization and post-production. HeightField Tracing gives displacement materials richer surface relief without adding geometric weight, so brick, stone, and timber keep convincing physical depth even in large scenes.
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/196052f2-45b2-4577-a1c1-32e97aa7bc83.png" alt="Seasonal Vegetation lets foliage and branch structure change by date, previewing all seasons in one scene" width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-626429" data-gramm="false">Seasonal Vegetation lets foliage and branch structure change by date, previewing all seasons in one scene</figcaption>
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Landscape work gains more nuance through Seasonal Vegetation, which lets foliage and branch structure change by date and previews a full year of a planting scheme in one scene. A run of smaller refinements rounds it out, including Custom Pivot, MeasureLine, improved City Generator controls, smarter Auto Exposure, and wider Gaussian Splatting support. Each one trims repetitive adjustments and keeps production moving.
It adds up to one point. An interactive presentation is only as good as the rendering underneath it, and that rendering has to hold both fidelity and speed at once.
<h2 dir="ltr">From Better Images to Better Decisions&nbsp;</h2>
Architectural visualization has spent years chasing realism. That work continues, though realism on its own no longer defines the field.
As projects get more collaborative, the ability to move between options, respond to feedback, and explain a design in context is becoming just as important. Presentations are becoming part of the design process itself.
<blockquote>
"The tools we end up writing about at AEC+Tech are rarely the ones with the longest feature list. They're the ones that change how a decision gets made."&nbsp; &mdash; Niknaz Aftahi&nbsp;
</blockquote>
D5 3.1 reflects that direction. It builds presentation into the design work, making visualization a place where ideas can be explored, compared, and refined with the people in the room.
Whether this turns out to be the next phase of the discipline is still an open question. The goal is clearly shifting, from producing better images toward better conversations about the work.
The biggest change in D5 3.1 sits outside the render itself. Visualization now stays in play through the whole conversation, long after the image is done.
<h2 dir="ltr">See it live&nbsp;</h2>
D5 will demonstrate the 3.1 workflow in a live webinar on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC, hosted by Jeff Espinoza, D5's Director of Customer Success and Services. The session covers D5 Lite for Rhino and Revit, Interactive Presentation, VR review, Stereoscopic Panorama, ACEScg, HeightField Tracing, and Seasonal Vegetation.
You can register using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.d5render.com/webinars/whats-new-in-d5-3-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this webinar page</a>, and anyone who registers but cannot attend will receive access to the recording.
To learn more about D5 Render, visit their <a href="../../../tools/d5-render" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page on aec+tech&nbsp;</a>or explore the latest features on the official <a class="_ymio1r31 _ypr0glyw _zcxs1o36 _mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu18uv _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _ect4ttxp _syaz13af _1a3b18uv _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj13af _9oik18uv _1bnxglyw _jf4cnqa1 _30l313af _1nrm18uv _c2waglyw _1iohnqa1 _9h8h12zz _10531ra0 _1ien1ra0 _n0fx1ra0 _1vhv17z1" title="https://www.d5render.com/" href="https://www.d5render.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-renderer-mark="true" data-is-router-link="false" data-testid="link-with-safety">D5 Render website</a>.
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<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/b02023eb-2713-4ea3-a35f-e0c2bb302c00.png" alt="" width="160" height="160">
Niknaz Aftahi is the founder of AEC+Tech. This article was produced with materials from D5 as part of a partnership, and independently edited for the AEC+Tech community.
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D5 Render

D5 Render 3.1 turns design reviews into live sessions. Interactive Presentation switches schemes, materials, and lighting on the spot; D5 Lite reaches Rhino and Revit. 

D5 3.1 Wants to End the "We'll Render It Tomorrow" Moment

<div><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/5741b41d-2b98-40f9-9a96-00550e6d0a57.png" alt="InspectMind AI" width="1080"></div>
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<div>Most conversations about AI in construction start with speed.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;How many hours did we save?&rdquo;</div>
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<div>&ldquo;How many pages could we review in minutes?"&nbsp;</div>
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<div>But a recent aec+tech conversation on AI-driven plan review made a more useful point: the tools save time, but the real reason to adopt them is risk.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0nEGFxC7as">This conversation</a> brought together Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer at Flint Engineering Company; Aakash Prasad, Co-founder and CEO of InspectMind AI; and Simon G. Solorio, President of Solorio Inc. Much of the discussion centered on InspectMind AI's plan-checking tool, though the takeaways apply to any firm weighing this kind of software.&nbsp;
In this article you&rsquo;ll see where AI plan review helps, where it falls short, and why a firm with weak internal processes will not get much out of it no matter how good the software gets.
<h2 dir="ltr">Reading a Pictorial Language</h2>
Plan review is not just about reading text. Construction documents carry meaning through symbols, callouts, line weights, and schedules that change from one project type to the next. An industrial set does not look like a large residential set. Every new hire has to learn how to read that visual system before they can review anything in it.
<blockquote>
"Construction documents are a language, and on top of that they're a pictorial language. You're relying on graphic and visual cues to display the information, translating heavy analysis and code requirements into those pictures."
&mdash; Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer, Flint Engineering Company
</blockquote>
Solorio described the second half of the problem: volume.&nbsp;
Even with tools like <a href="https://www.aecplustech.com/tools/revit">Revit</a> and virtual walk-throughs on Meta Quest headsets, engineers still check ever-changing building codes by hand and coordinate across disciplines. Holding hundreds of pages of drawings against dense architectural, structural, mechanical, and civil specifications is a cognitive load that does not scale. There is only so much one person can keep straight at once, and plan sets keep getting bigger.
That is the gap AI steps into. Not the design work or the engineering judgment, but the slow, repetitive cross-checking that wears people down and still lets errors slip through.
A Third-Party Reviewer That Works Through Lunch
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/bb52d8a0-3272-45e5-b6a9-e96e1717194f.png" alt="Errors missed in review surface on site, where fixes cost most." width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-8150" data-gramm="false">Fig 2) Errors missed in review surface on site, where fixes cost most.&nbsp;</figcaption>
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AI is a third-party reviewer. It&rsquo;s not a replacement for the engineer or the plan checker, but an extra set of eyes that never gets tired and never skips a page.
Prasad said InspectMind AI can typically review a 100- to 200-page project in one to two hours. In that window it catches discrepancies between drawings and specs, flags cross-discipline coordination issues, and checks against selected/applicable codes and references. It surfaces a prioritized set of findings while the team continues other work.&nbsp;
InspectMind AI has flagged a water main running straight into a 12-inch concrete pipe. It has caught a storm sewer drawn with no slope, which means it would never drain. These are the errors that hide on page 140 of a set and get expensive once they reach the field.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
"This isn't replacing your own diligence or your own quality of work. It's a useful automated review tool that helps you reduce risk and liability and improve quality overall."
&mdash; Aakash Prasad, Co-founder and CEO, InspectMind AI&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The discussion was honest about the limits, too. AI still struggles to read the purely graphical parts of a drawing when there are no words or numbers to anchor it. That should improve over the next few years, but for now InspectMind AI is strongest where drawings, specs, and code references can be grounded and cited. Purely graphical meaning, where the intent lives only in the picture, is still an area where human review matters.
<h2 dir="ltr">From Months of Back-and-Forth to Days&nbsp;</h2>
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<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/c6175af5-f771-4066-a384-2d4991e7ce06.png" alt="InspectMind AI tags each finding by severity, discipline, and code." width="1080">
<figcaption>Fig 3) InspectMind AI tags each finding by severity, discipline, and code.&nbsp;</figcaption>
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A minor discrepancy on a drawing is not just a quality problem. It is a liability problem. Prasad pointed to ADA compliance as an example. A ramp drawn with a 2.2 percent slope instead of the required 2 percent maximum is a small number on a sheet and a frequent target for litigation. Catching it before construction starts is worth far more than the hour it saved.
The same logic runs downstream. Errors that survive review become Requests for Information (RFIs) and change orders once contractors are on site. Each one costs time and money and strains the client relationship. The financial case lives in catching those errors early.&nbsp;
A church project in California shows how that plays out. The design firm ran its full drawing set (architecture, civil, structural, and specs) through InspectMind AI before submitting to the city. The AI flagged around 300 issues. The team fixed them first. When the city's review came back, the comments were mostly minor, and the firm closed them out in days rather than the weeks or months a project like this can take.
That is the payoff that matters. Not the hours saved running the review, but the weeks of back-and-forth with the jurisdiction that never happened, and the rework that never reached the field.
Garbage In, Garbage Out Still Applies
<figure class="image"><img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/88271371-af97-4945-8f3f-0a5ee2295ce9.png" alt="AI only reflects the inputs it gets." width="1080">
<figcaption spellcheck="false" data-qb-tmp-id="lt-415377" data-gramm="false">Fig 4) AI only reflects the inputs it gets.</figcaption>
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The strongest warning has always been against leaning on the tools too hard. The old 'garbage in, garbage out' rule still stands.
The software is powerful, but it sits on top of a firm's inputs, its standards, and the judgment of the people running it.
Solorio made the case for foundational knowledge. Junior engineers still need to learn the basics through hand calculations and free-body diagrams so they understand how loads travel and what a structural member is actually doing. Without that, an engineer cannot tell when the AI is wrong.
<blockquote>
"If you put in garbage, you're going to get out garbage, and that's still true with these new programs. If you put in something wrong, it gives you something wrong. You have to know the basics to know when it's giving you wrong information."
&mdash; Simon G. Solorio, President, Solorio Inc.
</blockquote>
Johnson framed the same idea as a sequence. He sees a working AI workflow as a three-tier system.&nbsp;
A firm establishes good internal processes first. Then it introduces standard automations. Only then does it put AI at what he called the tip of the spear. Skip the first two steps and there is nothing solid for the AI to stand on. When a firm's drawing standards and inputs are inconsistent, there is no realistic way to scale an AI workflow on top of them.
<h2 dir="ltr">Own the Output</h2>
Accountability is the other side of this. When an engineer signs off on a design, they own it, whatever tools helped produce it.
<blockquote>
"The motto we live by with AI is own the output. Just because you have a cool tool doesn't mean you get to say that the tool is the reason something was wrong. You own the output."
&mdash; Colton Johnson, Principal Engineer, Flint Engineering Company
</blockquote>
That has a practical edge. Johnson raised data security, pointing out that client information needs to stay protected under NDAs when a firm runs it through a third-party AI platform. Owning the output means owning the data path, too. Before uploading project documents, firms should evaluate the data path and the platform's NDA and security requirements. That is a question to settle before the first project goes up, not after.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Built by the People Who Use It</h2>
The panel closed on what actually makes these tools better, and the answer was feedback from the field rather than anything happening in a lab. Solorio and Johnson both pointed to the value of a simple thumbs up or thumbs down on each flagged issue. That input teaches the model the difference between a real problem and an irrelevant false positive, which is the difference between a tool engineers trust and one they learn to ignore.
Because AEC technology moves quickly, the tools that respond to this feedback can change almost daily. Johnson offered an example from a job site. He floated the idea of having the plan checker automatically generate a targeted field observation checklist based on the specific materials and structural elements it found in the drawings. Within hours, the development team had piloted a connection between the plan checker and a site inspection app.
That speed of iteration is the point underneath the whole conversation.
The AI plan review tools that earn a place in AEC workflows will be the ones built and shaped by the people doing the work, not the ones that promise to do the thinking for them. The engineers on this panel were not looking for software to replace their judgment. They were looking for a reviewer that helps them protect it. That is a smaller promise than replacing an engineer, and a far more useful one.
&nbsp;
To learn more about InspectMind AI, visit InspectMind AI's <a href="../../../tools/inspectmind-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page on aec+tech </a>or explore the latest features and request access on the InspectMind AI's <a class="_ymio1r31 _ypr0glyw _zcxs1o36 _mizu194a _1ah3dkaa _ra3xnqa1 _128mdkaa _1cvmnqa1 _4davt94y _4bfu18uv _1hms8stv _ajmmnqa1 _vchhusvi _kqswh2mm _ect4ttxp _syaz13af _1a3b18uv _4fpr8stv _5goinqa1 _f8pj13af _9oik18uv _1bnxglyw _jf4cnqa1 _30l313af _1nrm18uv _c2waglyw _1iohnqa1 _9h8h12zz _10531ra0 _1ien1ra0 _n0fx1ra0 _1vhv17z1" title="https://www.inspectmind.ai/" href="https://www.inspectmind.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-renderer-mark="true" data-is-router-link="false" data-testid="link-with-safety">website</a>.
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Editor's Note
<img src="https://aecplustech-files.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/c3806924-0521-483d-b74d-a01f09ed330e.png" alt="Niknaz Aftahi" width="160" height="160">
This article was independently reviewed and edited by Niknaz Aftahi, Founder of AEC+Tech, drawing on InspectMind AI's product documentation, direct conversation with the panel participants, and hands-on knowledge of plan review and QA/QC workflows. Figures drawn from the panel rather than published material were checked before publishing.
&mdash; Niknaz Aftahi, Founder, AEC+Tech
&nbsp;
</div>

InspectMind AI

AI plan review saves hours, but engineers say the real payoff is fewer lawsuits, cleaner permit reviews, and errors caught before they reach the field.

AI Plan Review Isn't About Speed. It's About Staying Out of Court.

Trimble selected 15 AECO startups for its 2026 0-60 Challenge, supporting AI, robotics, and interoperability integrations across construction workflows.

The Next Generation of AECO Innovation: Meet the 2026 Trimble 0-60 Finalists

<h2>About MEAN*</h2>
MEAN* - Middle East Architecture Network - is an innovative architecture practice based in Dubai that works, in its own words, at the nexus of design and emergent technologies. The studio organises itself around a single question: how can innovative design solutions advance the future of the built environment? Its output spans three scales - architecture, structures and products - and its projects have been built across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America.
<h2>Three Scales of Work</h2>
<h3>Architecture</h3>
Buildings and interiors including the University of Sharjah Innovation Hub, Cosmos House in AlUla, House 00 in Ras Al Khaimah, the Repeat Wellness Club in Barcelona, a members club and fashion incubator in Dubai, and The Migrant Kitchen in New York.
<h3>Structures</h3>
Pavilions, installations and public structures where the studio's technical experimentation is most visible - among them the Expo 2020 Oasis at the UAE National Pavilion, the Deciduous 3D-printed pavilion, Luminescents Pavilion, Desert Pavilion in Wadi Rum, Lamella 3D-printed shading structures for NEOM, and Shell Star in Hong Kong.
<h3>Products</h3>
Furniture and urban objects produced through digital fabrication, including the Mawj 3D-printed chair, Modulus urban furniture, the Sabeel water fountain for Expo 2020, and Sadaf - a 3D-printed bus stop developed for Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority.
<h2>Technology and Digital Fabrication</h2>
Additive manufacturing is central rather than decorative. Several projects are genuinely 3D printed at architectural scale, an area where very few practices worldwide have delivered permanent built work. The studio combines this with computational design, material hybridisation and structural optimisation - concepts it describes as found in nature and made achievable through technology. Data and simulation are treated as design tools: computers generate quantitative models of material behaviour, and machines then build complex, performative forms that conventional methods could not produce economically.
<h2>MEAL* Research Arm</h2>
The practice established MEAL* - Middle East Architecture Lab - as a synergetic research arm complementing the professional studio. Formalising research separately from client work is unusual at this scale and allows experimentation that a fee-earning project could not absorb, with findings feeding back into built commissions.
<h2>Collaborations and Clients</h2>
MEAN* has worked with partners including AECOM, Dubai's RTA, Audi and USM, spanning infrastructure authorities, global engineering firms and design-led brands. The studio states a preference for working with emerging brands that have an ethical mission, combining technical capability with storytelling to create a distinctive spatial identity.
<h2>Recognition</h2>
The practice has been featured by Dezeen, CNN, Forbes, Icon Magazine, The National and Frame, and has been recognised among emerging designers shaping design culture in the Middle East.
<h2>Sustainability and Urban Thinking</h2>
Ecological thinking runs through the work, from lightweight structures that minimise material use to public spaces designed to generate clean energy while going beyond their utilitarian function. The studio views emergent technologies as tools that will reshape cities for the better.
<h2>Why AEC Teams Should Know MEAN*</h2>
For anyone tracking 3D printing in construction, computational design or digital fabrication at building scale, MEAN* is one of the most instructive small practices working in the built environment today.

MEAN* (Middle East Architecture Network) is a Dubai practice working at the nexus of design and emergent technologies, from 3D-printed structures to architectur

MEAN* | Dubai Architecture & 3D Printing Studio

MEAN* Middle East Architecture Network

MEAN* (Middle East Architecture Network) is a Dubai-based practice working at the nexus of design and emergent technologies, delivering architecture, 3D-printed structures, pavilions and products across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America.

<h2 class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-section-id="bhf2wz" data-start="119" data-end="135">Unanet AE ERP</h2>
Unanet AE ERP is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning platform built specifically for architecture, engineering, and consulting firms. It brings project accounting, financial management, resource planning, billing, forecasting, time and expense tracking, and business reporting into one connected system.
<h3 data-section-id="17lftu9" data-start="449" data-end="482">Built for project-based firms</h3>
AEC firms often manage complex projects, distributed teams, tight margins, and constantly changing staffing needs. Unanet AE ERP is designed around those realities, giving project managers, finance teams, operations leaders, and executives a shared source of information for both project and business performance.
<h3 data-section-id="166ooyv" data-start="799" data-end="819">Key capabilities</h3>
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<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="x0k2st" data-start="821" data-end="866">Project accounting and financial management</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="ysdan0" data-start="867" data-end="890">Billing and invoicing</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="16h7so7" data-start="891" data-end="926">Revenue forecasting and budgeting</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="1cc49nc" data-start="927" data-end="968">Resource planning and staff utilization</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="ketx6d" data-start="969" data-end="998">Time and expense management</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="2un0dm" data-start="999" data-end="1029">Project performance tracking</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="z1a41x" data-start="1030" data-end="1068">Financial and operational dashboards</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="1jtdz26" data-start="1069" data-end="1106">Business intelligence and reporting</li>
<li style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" data-section-id="12al2xw" data-start="1107" data-end="1141">Workflow and approval management</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-section-id="wgwuyd" data-start="1143" data-end="1161">Why it matters</h3>
By connecting financial and operational data in one platform, Unanet AE ERP helps firms reduce manual processes, improve forecasting, understand project profitability, optimize staffing, and make more informed decisions.
It is especially useful for firms looking to gain better visibility across projects, finances, people, and overall business performance without relying on disconnected spreadsheets and systems.

Get everything you need to run and grow your AE firm with Unanet

Unanet AE ERP is an enterprise resource planning platform built specifically for architecture, engineering, and consulting firms. It combines project…

Relationships  Features Understand and leverage your firm's relationships

Solibri CheckPoint is a browser-based BIM model checking platform that helps architecture, engineering, and construction teams improve model quality, coordination, and compliance&mdash;without heavy installs or steep training. Open a browser, review Revit and IFC models side by side, run standardized QA/QC checks (clash detection, data/property rules, clearances), and manage issues in one collaborative workspace that fits your existing CDE and project tools.
<h2 data-start="758" data-end="783">Why Solibri CheckPoint</h2>
<ul data-start="784" data-end="1370">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="784" data-end="888">Zero install, fast adoption: Web-based model checking reduces IT overhead and speeds onboarding.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="889" data-end="985">Native Revit &amp; IFC support: Review the same source data&mdash;no exports or lossy conversions.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="986" data-end="1090">Standardized QA/QC: Enforce modeling standards with reusable rule sets, filters, and data views.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1091" data-end="1208">Collaborative issue management: Assign, track, and resolve clashes/data issues with transparent audit trails.</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1209" data-end="1370">CDE-friendly: Practical integrations with Autodesk Construction Cloud and Procore keep models and issues in sync via direct connections or BCF.</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="1372" data-end="1391">Key Capabilities</h2>
<ul data-start="1392" data-end="1804">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1392" data-end="1460">Clash detection &amp; constructability checks across disciplines</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1461" data-end="1541">Property/data validation to enforce BIM standards and naming conventions</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1542" data-end="1611">Clearance/free-space rules for safety, access, and operations</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1612" data-end="1702">Data Viewer to inspect quantities, attributes, and patterns alongside the 3D model</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1703" data-end="1804">Project Library to publish shared, repeatable templates (rules, filters, views) across projects</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="1806" data-end="1832">Integrations &amp; Workflow</h2>
<ul data-start="1833" data-end="2138">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1833" data-end="1939">Sync models and issues with Autodesk Construction Cloud and Procore (reduce duplicate uploads)</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="1940" data-end="2021">Export/import issues via BCF to keep coordination moving across platforms</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2022" data-end="2138">Fit lightweight checks into more milestones&mdash;from schematic coordination to preconstruction and punch-list closeout</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="2140" data-end="2155">Who It&rsquo;s For</h2>
<ul data-start="2156" data-end="2394">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2156" data-end="2237">Architects &amp; BIM Managers standardizing QA/QC and modeling best practices</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2238" data-end="2319">General Contractors &amp; VDC Teams driving constructability and coordination</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2320" data-end="2394">Owners/Consultants requiring transparent, auditable BIM deliverables</li>
</ul>
<h2 data-start="2396" data-end="2407">Benefits</h2>
<ul data-start="2408" data-end="2682">
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2408" data-end="2474">Higher BIM quality with consistent templates and rule sets</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2475" data-end="2544">Fewer rework loops thanks to faster clash and data validation</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2545" data-end="2608">Lower overhead via web-based access and simpler rollout</li>
<li style="font-size: 15px;" data-start="2609" data-end="2682">Better traceability with centralized issue records and auditability</li>
</ul>
Learn more: <a href="https://www.solibri.com/checkpoint?utm_campaign=3706145-Solibri%20CheckPoint&amp;utm_source=AEC%20Tech">www.solibri.com</a>

Model view IFC and Revit - Solibri CheckPoint

Solibri CheckPoint

Checking Revit models in the cloud with Solibri

Featuring Solibri at the AEC Innovate Conference

Solibri CheckPoint & the Future of AEC Model-Checking (2)

Acquisition of Xinaps and the rebranding of Verifi3D as Solibri Checkpoint

Solibri CheckPoint & the Future of AEC Model-Checking 

Ark Design AI is an AI-powered platform that helps architects and developers create architectural designs for multi-family and mixed-use projects. Architects and real estate developers, create automated floor plans and feasibility reports for multi-family and mixed-use projects quickly and efficiently. Our platform is the first AI solution for architectural schematic design. Optimize profitability, density, and living standards while meeting US codes and ordinances instantly, allowing you to make better and faster decisions. How it works Ark Design AI's software analyzes architectural designs and generates optimized building designs that meet project requirements and local regulations. It can create infinite variations to optimize for density, profitability, and living standards. Benefits Ark Design AI can help architects make better and faster decisions, and cut design costs by up to 90%. It can also free up architects' time and energy for more creative endeavors. Features Ark Design AI can create automated floor plans and feasibility reports. It can also generate a unique mix of unit types for a floor layout. Trial Ark Design AI offers a 10-day free trial. Ark Design AI was built by a team of AI scientists, architects, and software developers. Stage 1 Properties Provide several basic details about your project, such as the number of Floors, the number of Dwelling units, building uses and the Zoning district; these details will help ARK suggest better options further in the process. Stage 2 Lot Type &amp; Lot Editor Please select the preferred lot type: Interior Lot (One side street lot), Corner Lot (Two side street lot), or 2 Corner Lot (Three side corner lot). Once selected, kindly click on &ldquo;Next&rdquo; to proceed. Create the property lines of the Lot and provide information on the surroundings (Streets, Adjacent buildings, and yards). Stage 3 Locate Main Floors Locate the schematic floor plate of the ground and Typical floor of the Project, use different Shapes and sizes to explore and select a floor scheme. Stage 4 Core Editor Design the Vertical Shafts focusing on the residential floors; Adjust the circulation and Determine Room size according to the market standards and building type (Rental/ Condo/ Affordable). Stage 5 Schematic Section Receive the schematic side view and 3D massing of your project. From this point forward plan the project according to your personal preferences. Control the number of floors and their types(Cellar, Ground, Mixed-use, Typical and setback), Edit the floor plans, View summarize area calculations and export it to PDF and Revit file for further design. Stage 6 Floor Plan Editor Edit the Floor plate, create recesses, courts and setbacks; plan the units layout based on your choice of units types distribution. Within minutes the Ark algorithm will generate potential floor plans that meets building code. Select and edit the best option for your project. Stage 7 Plan Unit Mix The floor layout design includes various unit types such as studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments, each with customizable settings like price per square foot and minimum area. Room distribution control ensures optimal use of rooms along window walls without exceeding the maximum available area. The process allows for creating a unique mix of unit types for the typical floor layout, balancing efficiency and market demands.

ArkDesign.AI

ArkDesign.AI Demo with Dity Ayalon (Founder & CEO)

Featuring ArkDesign.AI at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring ArkDesign.AI  at the AEC Innovate Conference

Tools Leading the Way in the AEC+Tech Community

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation with ArkDesign.AI

Article post ( Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design Through AI: Meet ArkDesign)

Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design Through AI: Meet ArkDesign

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation (Webinar)

Generative AI & Real Estate Innovation with ArkDesign.AI, Higharc & Laiout - AEC-Tech Talk 20

AI-Powered Generative Design & Feasibility for Multi-Family & Mixed-Use

D5 Render is a leading real-time rendering solution that revolutionizes the architectural and design workflows. Powered by AI-driven and cutting-edge technologies, D5 empowers architects, designers, and visualization artists to work more efficiently and collaboratively, accelerating creation while ensuring consistently accurate and photorealistic results. -Best balance between speed and quality -Seamless integration with your favorite design workflow -User-friendly for designers, architects, visualizers, and archviz animation professionals alike -Free access and a cost-effective teams subscription option D5 Render is transforming the world of architectural visualization by bringing real-time rendering into everyday workflows&mdash;without sacrificing quality. Designed with architects, designers, and visual storytellers in mind, D5 combines high-speed GPU processing with an intuitive interface, allowing users to create photorealistic renderings, animations, and walkthroughs almost instantly. Unlike traditional rendering engines that require long wait times and technical know-how, D5 simplifies the process through real-time preview and rendering capabilities. Users can drag and drop assets, make lighting and material adjustments on the fly, and see results in seconds&mdash;all while working within a seamless, responsive environment. It also supports live sync with popular modeling tools like SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, and Archicad, streamlining the design-to-render workflow. What sets D5 apart is not just its speed, but also its ability to handle large, complex scenes with remarkable performance. Its AI-powered denoising engine and built-in library of assets&mdash;including vegetation, lighting, and materials&mdash;help elevate visualization without external plugins or post-production tools. Architects and design firms using D5 report significant time savings, improved client communication, and enhanced design decision-making. By eliminating the barrier between modeling and rendering, D5 allows teams to visualize concepts earlier and with greater clarity&mdash;ultimately leading to better outcomes. For firms working on tight deadlines or aiming to elevate their presentations, D5 offers a powerful solution that redefines what&rsquo;s possible in real-time rendering. It&rsquo;s not just a tool&mdash;it&rsquo;s becoming a core part of the modern architectural tech stack. Check out our latest article: https://www.aecplustech.com/blog/rendering-redefined-d5-real-time-revolution-architects-design-firms

Featuring D5 Render at the AEC Innovate Conference

Rendering Redefined: D5’s Real-Time Revolution

Why Every Designer Needs Collaborative Rendering (Webinar)

Why Every Designer Needs Collaborative Rendering

One Click LCA is the world&rsquo;s leading end‑to‑end sustainability platform, purpose-built for the construction and manufacturing sectors. Founded in Helsinki in 2001, the company has grown to a team of over 200 professionals across all continents and now serves users in more than 170 countries  At its core, this cloud‑based platform offers streamlined, automated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), enabling users to scientifically measure and reduce environmental impacts of structures, infrastructure, renovations, and manufactured goods. Beyond LCA and EPDs, it also supports assessments of circularity, life‑cycle cost, and biodiversity. A standout feature is its extensive global database with over 250,000&ndash;300,000 datasets&mdash;covering supplier-specific and generic material data&mdash;fully verified and regularly updated. This empowers users to make informed, data‑driven decisions. The platform supports over 80 compliance standards, including LEED, BREEAM, GRESB, CALGreen, and various country‑specific regulations. One Click LCA seamlessly integrates with more than 20 leading BIM and design tools, such as Autodesk Revit, Tekla Structures, Bentley iTwin, Rhino, and Grasshopper. This allows for real‑time feedback and early‑phase embodied carbon optimization&mdash;notably through its Carbon Designer 3D tool, which enables quick, BIM‑integrated carbon hotspot analysis and comparison of design scenarios. In some cases, Carbon Designer 3D helps identify carbon footprint variations up to 50% during conceptual design. Leading global players&mdash;including Skanska, WSP, Foster+Partners, Turner, ArcelorMittal, Arcadis, ARUP, Geberit, and Saint‑Gobain, among others&mdash;rely on One Click LCA to drive their decarbonization efforts. AECOM, for instance, equipped its ScopeX&trade; platform with One Click LCA to target a 50% carbon reduction across its projects. Its visibility among industry analysts reflects its market leadership: One Click LCA was featured in Verdantix&rsquo;s 2025 Buyer&rsquo;s Guide for LCA tools and is the first platform validated by RICS under its Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) programme. One Click LCA also makes parts of its platform freely accessible via its Planetary embodied&ndash;carbon calculator&mdash;a tool for benchmarking cradle‑to‑gate carbon impacts across building designs and supporting EPD usage worldwide. In summary, One Click LCA stands out with its: - Massive, high-quality global dataset (250&ndash;300k records) - Broad compliance across 80+ standards - Deep BIM integrations for early and ongoing carbon management - Recognition by major firms and standards bodies It remains the go-to platform for turning sustainability goals into measurable, actionable outcomes across construction and manufacturing value chains.

One Click LCA

Featuring One Click LCA at the AEC Innovate Conference

Featuring One Click LCA  at the AEC Innovate Conference

AI, Sustainability & Latest Tools for AEC

Sustainability Tools to Watch Out For in 2025!

We lead the construction industry in quality control. No more stumbling blocks. Constructing flawless buildings is now easier than ever. Solibri Office imports building models from all major BIM software using the standardized IFC interface. It identifies potential problems early, preventing issues during construction and beyond, ensuring smooth project execution and long-term building performance. Solibri offers the most advanced and comprehensive library of customizable rule templates to tackle the most demanding quality assurance tasks. Choose from over 70+ predefined rule templates or customize your own to ensure no stone is left unturned. Go beyond clash detection and take your BIM quality to the next level. Solibri offers a wider range of checking capabilities than any other tool in the market: geometry, clearance, accessibility, information &amp; property checking, building code compliance, model revision, fire safety and more. Solibri understands your role and offers you a set of rules, classifications, and reporting templates that you can customize to match your company, project, local, or national needs. Use organizational tools like classifications and filters to streamline model checking, to takeoff quantities and data, or to visualize the BIM data/components in the model. Information takeoff allows you to extract quantities based on different criteria more easily. Share the information using your own customized Excel templates. Information takeoff allows you to extract quantities based on different criteria more easily. Share the information using your own customized Excel templates. Share project information and collaborate seamlessly and reliably through Solibri&rsquo;s integrations, BCF Live Connector and API. Automate tasks, such as running checks, exporting the identified issues as BCF files and creating presentations, and run them at a convenient time with Solibri Autorun. Easily integrate with your workflows: Solibri is founded on openBIM standards to foster interoperability and enable transparent, open cooperation among all project participants. This allows model authors and collaborators to connect Solibri's quality assurance capabilities with the tools of their choice.

Solibri Office

Eight categories reveal how AEC technology evolved on aec+tech.

Building Better with BIM QA: 2025 Interview with Solibri

Checking Revit Models in the Cloud with Solibri

The Context
Despite decades of investment in BIM, architectural documentation remains heavily manual. Teams continue to spend significant time on repetitive production tasks, manual QA/QC, and enforcing standards across drawings, views, and schedules.
At scale, this creates inefficiency, late-stage rework, and coordination risk, while contributing to burnout across documentation teams. Existing automation is often fragmented or difficult to apply consistently within live project models, limiting its effectiveness in everyday production work.
SketchPro is being actively deployed at top architecture firms to address this gap by embedding AI directly into architectural documentation workflows.
The Question
How can AI support architectural documentation&ndash; QA/QC, standards alignment, and repetitive production work&ndash; while keeping architects in control, preserving authorship, and respecting firm-specific standards and workflows?
The Approach
SketchPro is an AI documentation copilot embedded directly within Revit, designed to operate on live project models, views, schedules, and sheets. The system is developed around three core principles:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
No workflow disruption Al actions occur inside the same Revit environment already used by project teams for documentation. No exporting, syncing, or parallel tools required.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Architect-in-the-loop control All actions are previewed, reviewable, and reversible, ensuring professional judgment remains central to decision-making.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Firm-specific intelligence Rather than applying generic rules, the system adapts to project standards, naming conventions, and documentation logic defined by each practice with an &ldquo;AI Knowledge Base&rdquo; set up by admins from each firm.
</li>
</ul>
The Collaboration Model
SketchPro is being deployed in collaboration with architecture firms working across a range of scales, typologies, and geographic locations, including educational, multifamily, and commercial projects. Ongoing collaboration ensures the platform addresses real documentation pain points such as QA/QC consistency, annotation cleanup, and standards alignment within live projects.
The Results
Across partner firms, teams report:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Standardized preferences across projects with AI
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
30% reduction in documentation time across major tasks like sheet creation, dimensioning, schedules, and QA/QC
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
20% more capacity to do more projects with their current team
</li>
</ul>
AI is experienced as a support system rather than a replacement. Junior staff report increased confidence and productivity, while senior staff retain full control over technical decisions.
Key Takeaways
Successful AI adoption in architecture depends less on automation alone and more on customization, transparency, and trust in the technology.
By embedding AI directly into documentation workflows and aligning it with the realities of architectural practice, SketchPro illustrates how AI can strengthen existing processes rather than disrupt them, supporting efficiency, quality, and professional judgment.

SketchPro allows you to go from a hand-drawn sketch to a fully rendered design

Firm-specific intelligence based on a custom, internal knowledge base

Mentor mode provides model-specific guidance

QAQC Audit using your firm's standards and checklists

SketchPro.ai

ARES Touch is a full-featured mobile CAD app that provides a complete set of 2D drafting and annotation commands. It's the perfect companion to quickly review a drawing shared in the cloud or received by email while on the go.

Team members at the jobsite can collaborate efficiently with colleagues back at the office

ARES Touch helps users work more effectively while on the jobsite or  in the field

ARES Touch works on Android and iOS tablets and smartphones

The ARES Trinity of CAD Software: Create and Modify DWG Files with Modern Collaboration Tools

ARES CAD Software: Top 10 Trinity Features Outperforming AutoCAD | Expert Review by Architosh

DWG Editing on Mobile: ARES Touch Makes it Quick & Easy!

ARES Touch: Mobile CAD for Android and iOS to View, Create and Annotate DWG

Mobile CAD solution for viewing and editing DWG files on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets

ARES Touch

Work productively on mobile devices with tools tailored to smaller screens

The Engineering Office (EO) provides architectural, engineering, and design services for large commercial projects in Dubai. EO manages approximately 60 construction projects of varying sizes simultaneously. As part of their core capability, EO’s in-house team and external consultants (if required) review construction-related technical submittals to ensure the design standards. On a yearly average, they handle 11,000 documents.

EO embraced innovation and digital collaboration by integrating zipBoard into their DMS and SAP ERP system. This integration improved their document management, resulting in remarkable improvements. zipBoard is a cloud-based document review and collaboration platform that enables teams to markup, annotate, and discuss documents in real-time. 

SAP ERP & zipBoard Integration Success Story (Engineering Office)

zipBoard

United Arab Emirates

The WhatsApp Safety Companion is an innovative software solution designed to seamlessly integrate with WhatsApp groups, enabling advanced monitoring and analysis of user conversations. This tool enhances workplace safety by automatically detecting and reporting safety hazards, observations, or incidents shared within the group through text or images. Upon detection, the system generates structured incident reports, ensuring that all critical information is accurately documented and categorized. This tool provides a proactive approach to improving workplace safety by making incident detection and reporting faster, more accurate, and easily integrated into existing processes. Safety risks can surface in the most unexpected places, even from a missed message in a WhatsApp group chat. The WhatsApp Group Companion revolutionises the way workplace safety is managed by seamlessly integrating with WhatsApp to monitor and analyse conversations in real-time. Text and Image Analysis: The Companion intelligently processes media types to identify safety issues, ensuring a comprehensive approach to hazard detection. Automated Incident Reporting: Data from the analysis is formatted into standardised incident reports, ready for review and action. Seamless Export Capability: The system allows for effortless export of reports to external platforms such as Navatech’s AI solution (nAI), other third-party systems, or CSV Excel, ensuring smooth tracking, processing, and follow-up.

WhatsApp Safety Companion

Navatech Unleashes AI Revolution on WhatsApp with Saifety Co-Pilot: Check it out now

Hloov is a data and technology company empowering the built environment to achieve financial and NetZero goals by minimizing waste. To create a better future for ourselves and future generations, we at Hloov believe that we need to change our approach towards solving complex built environment challenges that we face today and the ones expected in the future. We believe that the best way to achieve this is by empowering people with data science, cutting-edge technology, and innovative design thinking with a human-centric approach. In a world where ‘change is the only constant, Hloov is all about evolution through revolution. Word Hloov originates from the ancient Asian language – Hmong, which translates to “Change.” “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi Creative, strategic, and forward-thinking individuals are needed to solve real-world problems. You will find yourself collaborating with other like-minded team members on a journey to solve complex design challenges that arise within our industry’s ever-changing landscape. Be part of the change, and “Be You at Hloov.” Learn more: www.hloov.com/about

Result for “United Arab Emirates”

Tools "2 results"

WhatsApp Safety Companion

Hloov