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Success stories from NRW

Imti Enterprises GmbH – Rethinking construction

Build a house ready to move into in months instead of years, with lots of wood and cheaper than conventional construction. A vision? Perhaps. But one that is already becoming a reality. Imti Enterprises from Düsseldorf has developed a process with which these goals can be achieved. The transformation of the real estate and construction industry has begun

The challenge

Imti Enterprises GmbH from Düsseldorf aims nothing less than revolutionize construction . The founders are quite bothered by the way in which construction is currently being carried out. There are the enormous CO2 emissions and the large consumption of resources in the production of concrete as a building material. There are the many composite materials used in construction that make recycling so difficult and thus further increase resource consumption. There are the enormous construction costs. And there is the long time it takes for a residential building to be completed. “Hundreds of thousands of apartments are needed in the cities, and quickly ,” says André Pilling. However, it usually takes years until a residential building is planned, built and ready for occupancy. “All of this is problematic and doesn’t have to be that way,” says the co-founder of Imti Enterprises.

The company is a start-up, but Pilling and his co-founder Ulf Bohne are not young entrepreneurs, but have been active in the architecture and planning business for a quarter of a century with their companies, such as POS4 Architekten Generalplaner GmbH in Düsseldorf. They know their stuff. With their founding Imti - managing director is Christian Tesan - they want to transform housing construction and make it fast, affordable and sustainable with digital help.

Commissioned by:

  • Photos: Imti Enterprises GmbH / POS4 Architekten Generalplaner GmbH
  • Text: Lothar Schmitz, business journalist Bonn

André Pilling,
CDO & co-founder

“With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), a digital, three-dimensional twin of the planned building is created from the data read in”

The innovation

The crucial keyword is already hidden in the company name. Imti stands for “Intelligent Modultecture Industries”. The patent-pending “Modultecture” process basically corresponds to the completely digital planning and construction of a building. And not only that. “With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), a digital, three-dimensional twin of the planned building is created from the data read in,” explains Pilling. The process depicts the buildings in modules of different sizes, which are later produced based on this digital template.

Each segment of the digital twin carries the data necessary for construction as well as for the entire lifespan of the building: each segment knows what it is, what it is made of and what it can do. “This makes construction work much easier – and recycling one day as well,” says Pilling. Another plus: The buildings continue to be planned individually, but the modules can still be manufactured on an industrial scale and then assembled on the construction site. “This means you can build affordable apartment buildings within a few months and at realistic prices ,” reports the architect. Only the foundation continues to be constructed in a conventional manner, with Imti only using concrete with a high recycled content. “The modules are then delivered and stacked, so to speak. Depending on the size of the building, this takes at most a month,” says Pilling. Main material: wood. “Imti buildings are essentially made of wood and are built with renewable materials instead of energy-intensive building materials such as steel or concrete,” emphasizes Pilling, “our manufacturing process is CO2-friendly.”

More about IMTI
80
employees
20
below market price
3
different building modules

The NRW effect

Imti Enterprises was founded in 2020, and in the seed phase, a renowned project development company based in North Rhine-Westphalia became an investor in the start-up. At first, those involved were primarily busy developing the AI-supported digital platform. The company was then able to build its first model house, the prototype “I'm one” in Stadthagen. In NRW too (as of October 2022) you can already immerse yourself in the real Imti world, not just the digital one. “Our first project in so-called subsidized housing construction,” explains Ulf Bohne, “42 residential units, spread over five houses.” He is not yet allowed to reveal the name of the municipality. But one thing is clear: “This is a successful start that we will now use to advertise massively,” says Bohne. North Rhine-Westphalia in particular is a good location for such innovations. “We are experiencing a lot of openness among municipalities and economic development companies,” says Pilling. The two also appreciate the good support from the state government.

“Innovative and sustainable construction receives a lot of support from the ministries,” says Bohne happily, citing several funding programs as an example. The North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry for Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Construction and Digitalization is also making an important contribution to this. Pilling mentions, for example, the so-called “BIM action recommendation” from the Ministry for Municipal Building Administrations and the Municipal Building Industry, in which Pilling was able to participate as managing director of DEUBIM GmbH, which is closely linked to POS4 and Imti. “BIM” stands for “Building Information Modeling” and is also a digital method of planning, building, managing and dismantling real estate. It is considered one of the greatest innovations in the construction sector. And NRW is taking a leading role here. “A good location for innovations,” repeats Bohne.

More about the environment

Transformation through innovation

Background to the publication series

The publication series “Transformation through Innovation” is intended to illustrate how companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to write successful innovation stories thanks to the framework conditions created by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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