realBIM

Construction productivity is down 23% since 1991. realBIM is the online operating system where every discipline collaborates on one live model with AI, calculations and costs connected.

Comment

Inspiration

Despite decades of digitalization, construction productivity has declined instead of improved. According to McKinsey, productivity has fallen by about 23% since 1991. Engineers still work with disconnected software, PDFs, emails, exports, and duplicated data.

After more than twelve years in the construction industry, I decided to stop waiting for better tools and build one myself. Over the past three years, I taught myself full-stack development with ChatGPT as my tutor and Scrimba as my first programming course. Today I am building realBIM full-time and continuously improving it with AI. I believe construction projects should feel less like exchanging files and more like collaborating in an online multiplayer game.

One project. One model. One source of truth. Built for everyone involved.

What it does

realBIM is a browser-based collaborative BIM platform that brings together modeling, engineering calculations, cost estimation, project data, and AI in a single shared workspace.

Instead of exchanging files between different applications, everyone collaborates on the same live project. Engineering calculations, quantities, costs, and project information stay connected to the model and updates as the design evolves.

OpenAI Build Week

At this Hackathlon energy calculation was added, the AI Prompt for creating 3D Objekts with chat Bots and the UI was optimized with ChatGPT 5.6 Sol

realBIM was developed throught multiple Codex CLI Sessions and the Codex App (can use Screenshots). The Submission includes the ID of the App.

How I built it

Frontend

  • React
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Three.js
  • Tailwind CSS
  • shadcn/ui

Backend

  • PostgreSQL
  • liveblocks
  • Watermelon
  • .fraq

AI

  • OpenAI

Instead of storing large BIM files, realBIM stores structured building data. The 3D model, calculations, costs, diagrams, and reports are all generated from the same project data.

Challenges we ran into

Building design is incredibly complex. The biggest challenge was simplifying professional BIM workflows without removing the information engineers actually need.

Some of the key technical and product challenges included:

  • Rendering large building models smoothly in the browser
  • Room recognition from floor plans
  • Live engineering calculations
  • IFC compatibility
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Designing a simple interface for professional users

- Reducing unnecessary complexity without sacrificing engineering accuracy

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built a working browser-based BIM prototype that demonstrates the core workflow of a modern construction planning platform.

Today realBIM already enables users to:

  • Import and calibrate PDF floor plans
  • Create rooms and building layouts
  • Place building components
  • Store structured project data
  • Prepare engineering calculations
  • Generate cost estimates

Most importantly, we proved that professional BIM workflows can run directly in the browser while keeping the project data connected in a single source of truth.

What we learned

We learned that the construction industry doesn't need another file format—it needs a completely new way of working. Engineers don't want to manage files. They want to solve engineering problems. The biggest opportunity is connecting geometry, engineering calculations, costs, documentation, and collaboration in one live platform. The simpler the workflow becomes, the more valuable the software. Collaboration—not file management—is what makes projects successful.

What's next for realBIM

Our next milestone is to complete the MVP and validate it with engineering companies on real projects. We are looking for engineers, architects, and MEP/HVAC companies who want to test realBIM, provide feedback, and help shape the future of digital construction.

Our focus is to:

  • Complete the first production-ready release
  • Validate productivity gains on real projects
  • Expand AI-assisted engineering workflows
  • Build the operating system for the construction industry

Long-term Vision

We believe the future of construction is collaborative, intelligent, and fully connected. Our vision is to build the operating system for the construction industry—a platform where every stakeholder works on the same live project, helped by AI from the first sketch to building operation.

Making designing buildings as collaborative, intuitive, and engaging as playing an online multiplayer game.

Ownership

realBIM was independently created and owned by Michael (Mike) Repolusk, the submitting individual.

The project is hosted at realbim.sirego.ch for technical and branding purpose only.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates