Welcome to The Design Board, a podcast created by the team at UpSpring that focuses on design, development and everything in-between. We invite innovators in our industry and explore topics that support your growth in every way. The Design Board is a proud member of SURROUND, a podcast network from SANDOW Design Group, featuring the architecture and design industry's premier shows. Check it out at surroundpodcast.com.
Welcome everyone to the Design board, a podcast by UpSpring that focuses on design, development and everything in between. We host innovators in our industry and explore topics that support your growth in every way. I'm your host Susan Fernandez, and today I'm joined by Benjamin Glunz, CEO of Anguleris Technologies. We're recording this episode live at NeoCon at the SURROUND podcast studio, which is on the first floor of the mart in a space beautifully designed by SnapCab. Benjamin Glunz is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO of multiple successful ventures. In 2010, he founded Anguleris Technologies, LLC with a vision of innovating how architects, engineers, and other building professionals discover and select building products throughout the building design process. Since then, Anguleris has become a globally recognized industry leader through its network of platforms, including BIMsmith and Swatchbox. Benjamin has led Anguleris through a successful expansion into Europe with headquarters in Central London offices in Milan, Italy, and the successful acquisition of the San Francisco based architecture inspiration platform modeler in 2021 and Belgian sample platform club design in 2024.
The Anguleris network of platforms equips millions of architects worldwide to more seamlessly design with critical information that impacts the entire building lifecycle. The Anguleris Global headquarters are located in Elgin, Illinois, USA. Today we're diving into a fascinating topic. Architects filling a gap in their own market by designing services that better serve their industry. Frustration with traditional practices and the limitations they impose sparked a wave of creativity and innovation for Ben. In today's episode, Ben and I will discuss how architects are responding to challenges by creating new tools and platforms that enhance their work and push boundaries of what's possible in design. From discovering new products to better explaining their choices to clients, these innovations are changing the landscape of architecture. Benjamin, thank you so much for being here today.
Thanks for having me, Susan.
So your story is incredibly interesting and I've been a big fan for a long time. So I want to start at the very beginning for our listeners. What inspired you to shift from designing buildings to designing services for the architecture industry?
Yeah, it really comes down to one word, and that is frustration. Myself and my co-founder worked at a firm in the Chicago area just out of architecture school, and we were in a number of different areas as far as commercial and residential work. And at that time, Revit was just getting off the ground as a platform that firms were adopting. And we were sitting next to each other at this firm and just really were frustrated with how much work we were doing on behalf of the manufacturers as it related to our projects. And how frustrating it was to go out and find material data or translate the data that we had into a usable form. And so we had the idea, Hey, we should be working with these manufacturers to help them make their products available in Revit. And that was the spark. That's what got us right off the runway.
Right. I love that idea of really creating a service that helps architects really focus on design and not on building these individual files ad nauseam. So how does the saying good design is only as good as the options in front of you apply to the challenges that architects face today?
Yeah. Coming from a background where doing internships for years and then becoming an associate and then ultimately moving up in the firm, you realize how much grunt work happens in these firms. And it's kind of a hidden problem across the industry because the principles, by the time they get there, they kind of forget what it was like, and oh, surely we don't do things that way anymore. And they do. And one of the biggest wasted resources in the architecture and design industry today is our associates time. It's a huge waste, and they're chasing people for data, chasing people for samples, spending time doing rework. What would happen if we could unlock the excitement and the creativity that those folks just out of college have and bring before that kind of gets killed in their career and kind of ground to a stop? What if we could unlock that time and help them to contribute to actual material selection and better projects?
And so that's really one of the key problems that all of the Anguleris platforms help to solve is getting not only associates, but principles and architects and designers too. But freeing up the time doing the minutia and actually leaving them space to make more creative decisions. What can happen if you can consider more products at once instead of just saying, well, this is the only one we can get today, so we're going with it. And that's how so many bad design decisions are made is just what's on the table, let's just go with it because we don't have time. And so to answer your question, we're freeing up that time so we can make better decisions for our clients.
I love that. And I can see manufacturers... Really, there's so much frustration on their end because they say, they just pick up the same specs over and over again, but it is not really due to laziness. It's that they don't have the right information.
And it's survival, right? Yeah. When you're under a deadline that you didn't get to have any input around, right? How can you get the most efficiency into your workflow while still getting an excellent result? Well, sometimes it's easier to just run the same play over and over again.
Right. In your experience, what are some common challenges architects and designers face when sourcing products? I mean, I think we're talking about how does this impact their overall design concept?
Yeah. I mean, so many times there's a design or a look in your head and you just don't have the time or availability to get to where you want it to go. There are always those dream clients that have the patience for that and all the budget, but most projects do not have full carte blanche on creativity, full carte blanche on budget and full carte blanche on time and delivery. So you have to kind of choose, right? And so working with manufacturers, if you partner with them properly, it can really expedite those decisions. If you get those relationships down and those tools right, you can go to any manufacturer and they're going to be a great partner for you in that decision making and potentially save some of the trouble for you. And so I think one of the frustrations is firms are always getting called on, Hey, can I get you this?
Hey, can I get you that? Hey, can I stop by for this? Hey, can I stop by for that? But then when it's time for me to pick up the phone, I don't want to be a lead. I just want to pick up the phone and know that you're going to pick it up on the other end and answer my question. And that's a fact I think a lot of manufacturers don't fully understand is they're all about the leads and the trade shows and can I get this sample kit into your hands? But if they could just focus on being there when I pick up the phone, that would be the thing that could close the loop for them among the other things they offer and provide.
So how can better awareness of available products help prevent all these challenges? So ultimately, is it a big reduction of all this grunt work time and a refocus on design, or what exactly is it?
Absolutely. It's a refocus on design and better decision making and higher quality decisions, higher quality products. If two things look the same, you might just go with it. But if you have a little extra time or a little better information or a better tool that I can quickly compare, then I can actually take it to the next level and say, well, I've got these two tiles, which one is actually better for my use case? And do that extra level of decision making beyond just that base level doesn't look good.
Right. But we also live in a world of information overload.
It's so true.
So how can architects and designers effectively sift through the noise to find the best products for their projects?
So one of the concepts that we have on all of our tools, we talk about nutrient density. That's obviously not a concept that relates to architecture or materials, but if you take the same concept and apply it to data and the tools that you're using, how can you actually get the right information? Not just, am I full, but am I being nourished with the data that I'm getting, right? And so that's this concept that we're always pushing ourselves to be better about. That if I'm on a page, I have so many pixels on the screen to tell you what you need to know, and we serve as the curators of that information. And that's really a key differentiating factor for all the Anguleris platforms is we're not just some company that came in to disrupt the industry. We are from the industry. We want to help the industry evolve. And so being architects ourselves we're able to really help to be the curators for our colleagues in the industry.
I think that's an amazing point. We work with so many manufacturers and the decisions sometimes of what... The information those pixels form on that page can be very arbitrary. Because they make the product, they're not specifying it, so they don't really ever see it from that perspective. What role do these curated platforms play in this process?
Well, first and foremost, our role is to aid in the process, make it more efficient, make better decisions. Because at the end of the day, any building is only as good as the materials that are going into it. You could have a world winning Pritzker Prize design project, and if you specify the wrong materials within five years, you're going to see that and that building's going to start to crumble or fall apart. And so the materials are the Lego bits that come together to determine the overall quality of that design. And so that's just such an important part to what we offer the uses of our platform, is helping them to really make the best decisions possible, but then also do that in a really timely fashion.
Yeah. And I think we've all seen evidence of when products have been specced incorrectly. And it is kind of unbelievable that it still happens, but it does. BIMsmith seems to be a game changer for architects. How does it help architects discover and utilize products they might not have known about before?
Sure. Our whole concept with BIMsmith is if an architect knows you and loves you, they're probably going to go to your site. If they've already got you in mind, that's great. The role that BIMsmith plays is when an architect hasn't quite made up their mind in terms of what's going into a project, but they know they're working in Revit and they need something that's going to fit into their drawing. And so it starts with a time need, can I get a model of this? And what we find is the architects spend and designers spend time going through the site and seeing all sorts of options. And so in that way, we're a bit of a matchmaker to say, here are my design criteria, here are the benchmarks that I'm trying to hit, how do I actually translate that to a product? And again, that comes back to that curation aspect.
You can go on any spec site all day. There are plenty of web platforms, and it seems like a new one pops up every day. But the reality is that people completely underestimate how much we have to fight day in and day out to keep the information and the content on that website curated up-to-date, tied into what the manufacturer has. Because anybody can go scrape the internet and throw it onto a portal. That's not helpful, right? So making sure that information is real time, the architects have come to trust that. And then to be able to bring that directly into their design is still a game changer to this day. And we're still pushing the limits of what's possible with that.
I think that's really interesting to look at from a marketing perspective. We start with the brand awareness and sort of filtering that content down in accordance of when somebody is... Where they are in their decision making process. And to have manufacturers understand that there is another level to that funnel, if you will, that is about when they're actually looking for something, but in a very specific very almost... I want to say scientific, that's not the right word, but-
No, it is. It's a research platform first and foremost, right? And then we just so happen to have that already to go into a BIM format.
So tell me about Swatchbox. This adds another layer to the services you provide. So how does sampling through Swatchbox enhance an architect's design process?
Well, this goes back to, again, early days when I was at a firm, I worked on a very large national client who had very specific expectations around timing. And over a period of about five days, I needed to order about 150 unique samples. And the amount of time that I spent calling reps just to make sure that they were coming and, oh, did you get this order? And oh, there's no way to order it on the website, so I literally have to call Harry down at whatever and get the sample. And it was just very frustrating.
And so we obviously went down the path of BIMsmith first, but then as the success from that grew, we heard more and more from the brands we were working with that this was another huge problem that they had. And as we realized it, we basically said, look, we can solve this same problem in a similar way, but obviously much more physical in the logistics and all of the ways that has to tie in. But again, it comes back to that root problem of are we being efficient with our time and are we making selections based on what's the best material or based on which of the two brands that we ordered got us the sample first?
And I think that also speaks to this lag that I see between manufacturers and the juniors in design firms who don't want to call. So if they don't want to call you and they can't get a sample quickly, then they're just going to move on to a different manufacturer for sure. So what separates Anguleris from other platforms?
Yeah, I mean, obviously the diversity of what we're offering across BIM, sample, spec inspiration is unparalleled in the world. There are other BIM sites, there are other sampling tools, there are other inspiration sites, but the integrated nature of what we're doing is really the secret sauce of what's different about our platform. Underneath that, of course, is the fact that we're owned and operated by architects, which is another really unique value proposition, and we've covered some of that already. But I can't stress how much that affects our approach and the way we go to market with our tools and the way we build our team. Frankly, we continue to replicate that model instead of just hiring random. We're looking to hire folks who are in the industry, have something to say about it and are passionate about being able to make a change. The other difference is because we're owned and operated by architects, there's no pressure for us to do some big exit or some big whatever, right? We're able to just continue to march on to move the needle for the industry, and we're motivated by that mission first and foremost.
I think that's really evident in everything that you do. Looking to the future, what innovations or developments do you foresee in the architecture industry that could really further enhance how architects and designers work?
There are so many tools and technologies out there. It's sometimes overload, and I feel like I'm getting pitched on the next widget every other day, or the next disruptor who's going to take over the world, and it's going to be this, and it's going to be the end of whatever as we know it. And I just think the industry needs more people who show up and do the work to move the industry forward. Obviously innovate, obviously be more efficient, be creative, but a little less talk and a little more action would certainly go a long way for this industry to move forward together. And so obviously there are all the buzzwords that you can go out and find in technology these days. I think I tend to take the hype cycle and cut it in half. No single one of these new technologies is going to be the answer to save the built environment or save the architecture and design profession.
It's going to be collaboration amongst the tools. And so less silos, less hub-and-spoke, and more neural networks of tools and solutions that work together, whether they're competitive or not. The end of the day, the architects and designers don't care. They care whether they can do the job and whether they can design the best buildings possible. And so for those of us who are moving software and solutions forward for this industry, we all have to work together to be able to do that. And that's really the old school technology that will enable the new school technology and innovation to actually move the needle.
Yeah. And I think all of that really comes full circle that you do pull so much talent from architecture and design firms. So all of the folks who are creating these tools are the ones who actually have needed them. And that just kind of really reinforces what you're saying. Ben, it has been an absolute pleasure. Is there anything that I haven't asked you that you would like folks to know?
Yeah, I mean, obviously if you're out there listening at a firm, we'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can help fill that gap for you. We're very eager to do that. Please give us a call. Please reach out, DM us on Instagram, whatever. We're always eager for these collaborations. If you're a building product manufacturer and you're thinking seriously about how you can move the needle, also reach out to us just to talk. Don't even have to work with us. We're just always open to a greater conversation. And if you are a technology platform that's trying to move the needle forward, as I've described here today, I would also encourage you to reach out because we all have to work together. It's too big of a problem. There's not going to be one brand to rule them all. It really has to be the sum of all of us working together is exponential to the force we actually can produce.
Fantastic. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Susan.
Thank you so much for listening in with us today. We hope you leave inspired by the ideas in today's episode. For more, follow UpSpring on LinkedIn and Instagram. And don't forget to check out the amazing lineup of shows brought to you by the SURROUND Podcast Network at surroundpodcast.com.
