Protofit 3D Is the Next Big Thing by Real Estate Startup Floored
By Lauren Elkies Schram March 2, 2016 12:00 pm
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Real estate startup Floored is stepping up its 3D game with a new virtual reality platform for the architecturally inept developer or broker. And the company is receiving the guidance of a high-profile architect, Bjarke Ingels, when it comes to technology and strategy.
Today, the company is launching a software platform through which landlords and brokers can create their own interactive 3D and virtual reality models for individual tenants. And it is filming a video with Mr. Ingels as its new architecture adviser. (Mr. Ingels wasn’t available for comment.)
Called Protofit 3D, the new software is a souped-up version of what the company launched last October, Floored Founder and Chief Executive Officer David Eisenberg told Commercial Observer.
“It’s going to enable tenants to get a highly personalized experience when they tour space,” he said last week. “They will be able to take their requirements and overlay them on a floor plan and then view the space through a virtual reality tour.”
The way it works is as follows: A landlord uploads a floor plan in CAD or PDF form onto the platform. You then pick from space concepts, like conference room, desks, offices and breakout space. Then you select a 3D style template like “luxe” for law firms and finance companies or “eclectic” for tech and creative tenants. Protofit 3D then spits out a 3D model which includes Floored’s pre-selected finishes, furniture, ceilings and floor types.
“When you double click on a space, it opens a 3D model I can walk through without any background in design,” Mr. Eisenberg said.
Protofit 3D, the result of a $10 million investment in labor, already has 25 to 35 customers including Related Companies, L&L Holding Company, Brookfield Property Partners, CBRE (CBRE) Global Investors and Beacon Capital Partners (some portfolio wide). There are about 110 buildings on the platform with another 1,000 buildings in the national pipeline, Mr. Eisenberg said.
“I’m not aware of any other product on the market that competes with Protofit 3D,” said Zachary Freeman, a vice president of leasing at Equity Office. “We like the product so much we have decided to install a touch screen Protofit in our full-floor marketing suite at Park Avenue Tower. The product allows an end user to design and strategically layout their desired office configuration in real time and then with a simple click convert that 2D plan to a 3D real world experience. Additionally one can choose their desired finish type, i.e., financial or creative, which adds an additional element of realism to the experience.”
Since Floored’s inception in 2012 as a creator of interactive 3D models for the real estate industry, Mr. Eisenberg said it has raised $6.5 million in venture funding with no plans to raise more. The firm is based at 159 West 25th Street between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue.
The main subscription model for Protofit 3D is per building with prices ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 annually.
