Frank Gehry Joins Forces with IBM and Dassault Systemes to Bring Their PLM Version 5 Solutions to the Building Industry

Gehry Technologies to address broader construction industry needs

Los Angeles, USA and Paris, France - September 29, 2003 - Gehry Technologies®, an independent company created by Gehry Partners’ research group, has formed a business partnership with IBM and Dassault Systèmes (NASDAQ: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA).

Gehry Technologies has received accreditation as a certified IBM Business Partner selling and servicing IBM and Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA®, ENOVIA™ and SMARTEAM® Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, and IBM hardware, including IntelliStation workstations. Gehry Technologies is also a member of the Dassault Systèmes Education Partner Program, a global initiative to sustain world class, educated PLM professionals.

By enabling architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators and suppliers to focus on their core competencies, PLM technology from IBM and Dassault Systèmes will allow them to collaborate more efficiently and will transform the way they develop projects with clients. Similar to its revolutionizing effect on the automotive and aerospace industries, PLM will also have a significant impact on project design, procurement, and execution by providing better cost predictability, reduced development time, and increased innovation.

Throughout the last 14 years of his career, Frank Gehry and his partner Jim Glymph have been strong champions of PLM technologies from IBM and Dassault Systèmes, including CATIA V5, for collaborative product development in 3D. They have pioneered the application of these technologies on projects throughout Europe and North America. The success of this vision can be seen in Frank Gehry’s completed works such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Under Jim Glymph’s stewardship and his R&D group, Gehry Partners has accelerated the use of advanced computing tools to promote collaboration between designers and craftsmen. The broad international base of Frank Gehry projects has enabled the R&D group and its partners to gain a unique insight into the design and construction processes used for architectural projects around the world. Knowledge of these contracting and managing projects facilitates integration with new processes made possible by advanced computing.

“We are aware of the challenges we face in introducing new processes to the building design and construction industry,” said Jim Glymph, CEO, Gehry Technologies. “This is an industry that does not have the cohesion of the manufacturing sector, and it must deal with processes, procedures, regulations, and even traditions of practice, that differ greatly from region to region, nationally and internationally. We are leveraging our international experience by identifying best practices and procedures that can use Gehry Technologies computing solutions to advantage.”

“Frank Gehry is one of the most influential architects of our time. Using IBM PLM Solutions, he has revolutionized the world of modern architecture with technologically-sophisticated masterpieces, including the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain,” said Scott Hopkins, general manager, IBM Product Lifecycle Management. “We share Mr. Gehry’s objective to give the entire building industry the power to create innovative structures far beyond what was possible in the past. PLM technology, backed by Gehry’s expertise, will have a dramatic impact on the architectural landscape of the future.”

“It is a great satisfaction to see that CATIA and our V5 PLM platform will play a critical role in modernizing the design and construction of buildings,” said Bernard Charlès, president and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. “It is a fantastic transformation launched by one of the most prestigious architects of our time. Frank Gehry proved that our PLM technology enables profound improvements in building design, construction and contractual processes. This alliance confirms the dynamic of the adoption of our V5 PLM platform in multiple sectors.”

The R&D group of Gehry Partners formed Gehry Technologies with the intent of introducing the building design and construction industry to software solutions and new project delivery processes that have been made possible by these emerging technologies. The group encourages the building industry to examine and challenge traditional project delivery processes to achieve the advances made possible by these technologies.