The New York City skyline is nothing short of a wonder of the world. Between the city’s early Gothic revival skyscrapers and iconic Art Deco landmarks, architecture has remained an ever-changing laboratory in New York since the 1800s.
As such, it comes as no surprise that
, an online marketplace for architectural projects, makes its home here. The platform launched back in 2009, and has since become the world’s largest digital database for architecture.
Today, Architizer raised a $7 million Series A led by August Capital, with participation from SHoP Architects and Handel Architects.
While architects oversee about $570,000,000 of U.S. construction every year, Architizer is a valuable resource for the market. Over 40,000 architecture firms user Architizer’s platform, which has featured 120,000 projects on the site.
As computational design, virtual reality and digital fabrication are among the technologies that have advanced architecture in recent years, the industry hasn’t totally caught up with technology.
A major pain point for modern architects is the lack of tools available to help them choose products (i.e. door handles, flooring, window materials, etc.) they need to complete their visions. Architizer plans on using their recent financing to solve this problem.
“The only way the architecture profession is going to address its myriad challenges is by building tools that unleash the huge power inherent in our work,” Architizer CEO and cofounder, Marc Kushner said in a Medium post. “Solutions will need to be political, legal and economic. It’s no secret that there are huge transformations going on in entrenched markets, whether Airbnb for accommodations or Uber for taxis. Architecture deserves its own revolution, and this Series A helps us get there.”
The company is currently developing Architizer Source, an online tool that will enable architects to more easily specify products they need. The company released an invite-only beta version of Architizer Source in July, allowing 10 New York-based architecture firms to test the platform. Architizer will publicly launch the service by the end of this year.
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