Higharc is developing an AI platform that generates 3D models from simple floor plans and uses them to determine materials, handle cost estimation, and automate the construction process. At the core of the technology is AutoTranslate AI (a proprietary solution developed in-house by Higharc; sources explicitly describe AutoTranslate AI as company-owned technology that combines proprietary AI image models with deterministic construction logic), which translates floor plans into precise 3D data models and links them directly to real-world building materials.
In tandem with the funding round, Higharc announced a partnership with US LBM, the largest private distributor of lumber and building materials in the US. Crucial for the construction industry: this expands Higharc’s solution to building material suppliers for the first time, enabling them to automatically generate or receive precise material lists directly from the blueprints instead of estimating them manually and error-pronely.
Marc Minor, CEO and co-founder of Higharc, puts it in a nutshell: AI is fundamentally changing how we (can) work in the construction industry in the future and reduces the time and cost required per project. The fresh capital will now flow into scaling AI product development and expanding the platform into broader segments of the residential homebuilding market.
At first, we weren’t sure if this funding round was worth a news post. After all, it’s far away from the German/European market. But this still manageable use case (classic single-family homes in the US) shows where the journey is heading. An ever-deeper vertical integration based on the generated data and an ongoing reduction of interfaces—and with that, roles and personnel?
We can imagine that this development is nowhere near its end and won’t stop at single-family homes. While we in Germany are still discussing how to generate traditional bills of quantities (BoQs) from BIM models, Higharc is already integrating the building materials supplier directly into the system and landing a nearly $100 million Series C. That’s why this news is important to us too, and it really got us thinking!
