BUDAPEST, Hungary, Nov. 22, 2013 — (PRNewswire) — GRAPHISOFT, the global leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions for architects, and Nikken Sekkei, one of the world's largest architectural design firms, announced today their strategic partnership agreement to establish a jointly-funded BIM Competence & Research Center for advancing BIM in Japan and South-East Asia.

The multi-year strategic partnership agreement was signed by Keiichi Okamoto, President and CEO of Nikken Sekkei, and Viktor Varkonyi, CEO of GRAPHISOFT, at a special signature ceremony held in the JETRO Business Development Center in Tokyo, in the presence of Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary. Both companies agreed to build a joint team of BIM specialists and BIM software developers dedicated to developing both software solutions and implementation know-how. This collaboration is not only for improving BIM capabilities, but also driving further BIM implementation in Japan and South-East Asia.

"We feel very confident working with GRAPHISOFT," says Keiichi Okamoto, President and CEO of Nikken Sekkei.  "As a result of our multi-year cooperation, ArchiCAD has become our main BIM platform at Nikken Sekkei."

"Working closely with GRAPHISOFT opens up new possibilities for Nikken Sekkei to strengthen its leadership in AEC innovation," added Tomohiko Yamanashi, Executive Officer and Principal at Nikken Sekkei.  "Utilizing BIM data helps us make better design decisions much earlier in the design process. We hope to increase the scope of our mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of our strategic agreement."

"We are proud to be partnering with one of our most prestigious clients on growing and solidifying the role of BIM in Japan," said Viktor Varkonyi, GRAPHISOFT CEO.  "Pairing Nikken Sekkei's innovative design with cutting-edge technology will open up new opportunities and helps promote the use of BIM throughout the AEC industry," he added.                         

"By thoroughly understanding the know-how of Nikken Sekkei, we will be able to ensure that our products meet Japanese standards to an even greater degree," added Bence Kovacs, Vice President of Asia, GRAPHISOFT. "GRAPHISOFT invests heavily in the South-East Asia region to help establish local BIM standards," he continued.  "This partnership enables us to serve the entire region better."

About Nikken Sekkei
One of the world's largest architectural design firms with over 2,500 professional staff, Nikken Sekkei and its eight Group companies offer comprehensive design, engineering, management, consulting and R&D services. Established in 1900, the company's portfolio consists of over 20,000 projects in 40 countries. Its activities cover a wide spectrum of sustainable public and private endeavors including: new city design, high-density/mixed-use transit-oriented developments, super-high rise buildings, business parks, offices and facilities for commercial, cultural, educational and healthcare use. Nikken is headquartered in Tokyo and maintains branch offices in China, Korea, Vietnam and the UAE.

About GRAPHISOFT
GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution in 1984 with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as its revolutionary BIM Server™, the world's first real-time BIM collaboration environment, EcoDesigner™, the world's first fully BIM-integrated "GREEN" design solution and BIMx®, the world's leading mobile app for BIM visualization. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007.

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