In Dubai

Linzers build twin of XXL shopping center

In Dubai, a trip to the Dubai Mall is a must, and for the qapture team (here Dominic Koll with scanner) it is now their workplace.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/qapture gmbH, REUTERS)

It is the city of superlatives and the destination of many vacation trips: Dubai! However, the qapture team is currently traveling to the desert metropolis for work reasons. A special assignment is calling: they are scanning all the details of a shopping center in the United Arab Emirates.

More than 1,200 stores; parking spaces for around 14,000 cars; an area of more than 1.1 million square meters - all this is on the Dubai Mall's business card.

A trip to the shopping center in the United Arab Emirates is a must for tourists, even if it's just to experience the water, light and sound show in the outdoor area.

There are few plans for existing buildings. Our aim is to bring them into the digital world.

Daniel Höller, Mitgründer qapture

Dominic Koll looks at the site with completely different eyes. The Linz native is equipped with a mobile scanner to capture every corner of the gigantic building.

Together with Daniel Höller, Koll founded the company qapture in 2020, which specializes in creating digital twins. This enables a detailed overview and the creation of 3D models.

The Linz-based company - here Daniel Höller - now employs 24 people.(Bild: Citiyfoto/Richard Haidinger)

What do they plan to do with the data in Dubai? "It's about supporting conversions and renovations and simulating traffic flows."

The challenge for qapture is that there are hardly any time slots to work in peace. Höller: "The Dubai Mall is open 365 days a year and an incredible number of technicians are on duty at night."