Gehry Technologies

About Gehry Technologies

Gehry Technologies was established in 2002 as a spin-off from the architectural firm Gehry Partners, founded by the acclaimed architect Frank Gehry and his colleague Dennis Shelden. The company's genesis traces back to Gehry's pioneering efforts to adapt technology from the aerospace and automotive industries to realize his complex architectural designs, a process that began with projects like the 1992 Barcelona Olympics fish sculpture and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Faced with the challenge of translating his unconventional, sculptural forms into buildable structures, Gehry's team embraced CATIA, a 3D design software from Dassault Systèmes originally created for fighter jet design. This adoption of advanced digital modeling was driven by a need for greater precision and cost-effectiveness, allowing the firm to execute ambitious designs while maintaining control over budget and schedule.

Co-founder Dennis Shelden, who joined Gehry's firm while completing his Ph.D. at MIT, played a crucial role as Director of Research & Development and later as CTO of Gehry Technologies. His expertise in computation and engineering was instrumental in developing the firm's technological capabilities. The company was formed to commercialize these bespoke processes, offering both software and consulting services to the broader Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. It provided Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions, project management services, and web-based collaboration tools aimed at improving efficiency and reducing risk on complex projects. Its client portfolio included other prominent architectural firms like Herzog & de Meuron for the Beijing National Stadium and Ateliers Jean Nouvel for the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The company's primary software offerings were Digital Project, a BIM suite developed with Dassault Systèmes, and GTeam, a cloud-based 3D file management and collaboration platform. In 2011, the company raised $10 million in a funding round from investors including Autodesk and Dassault Systèmes. On September 8, 2014, Gehry Technologies was acquired by Trimble, a company specializing in positioning and geospatial solutions. The acquisition was part of a strategic alliance to integrate Gehry's design and collaboration tools with Trimble's extensive portfolio of construction technologies. As part of the deal, Trimble acquired the consulting business and the GTeam software, which was later renamed Trimble Connect, while Digital Project was spun off into an independent entity. The merger aimed to create a more seamless workflow from the design office to the construction site, transforming the entire design-build-operate continuum. Following the acquisition, the business evolved into what is now known as Trimble Consulting.