With over 90 employees, Habemo is one of Belgium's largest facade builders. To meet the ever higher (architectural) requirements, the company has been using HiCAD 3D software from ISD Group for some time. A conscious choice, according to director Timothy Oben.
Habemo is a Belgian construction company based in As, near Genk. "We specialise in realising roofing, facade cladding and awnings," says Oben. "We do that for both warehouses and distribution centres with steeldeck and sandwich panels, but on the other hand we also focus on the architectural segment where we provide offices, hospitals and other buildings with a more exclusive facade. With over 45 of our own employees and the same number of temporary workers, we work on projects throughout Belgium and Luxembourg with occasional forays into the Netherlands and Germany."
Together with HiCAD, we are now prepared for the future as a facade builder
Timothy Oben, Director at Habemo
In the decorative and architectural segment in particular, more and more work is being done in 3D, Oben knows. "Not everything can always be solved in 2D anymore. That's why we started looking into 3D software in early 2022. Soon we ended up with ISD Group with HiCAD. Of course, there are plenty of 3D alternatives nowadays, but HiCAD specialises in facade engineering. And ISD also has a lot of knowledge of the sector and knows better than anyone what the needs of a facade builder are. This summer, we purchased a licence and one of our draftsmen started his education and training. He has already worked out the first projects in HiCAD, with support from ISD. After all, drawing in 3D requires completely different skills than in 2D. And ISD knows that too. They are always on standby for feedback or questions, which is very pleasant. As soon as our draftsman has fully mastered HiCAD and the necessary templates are set up, the entire drawing office will make the switch to HiCAD."
Designing and drawing in 3D offers many advantages, according to Oben. "We can now very easily work further on a 3D model from the architect and also reveal any clashes at an early stage. It reduces error margins. A win-win, in other words. Together with HiCAD, we are now prepared for the future as a facade builder."