EN
Name: Jochen Sühlo
Company name: b-prisma
Web: b-prisma.de - main site, professional GDL programming | raumreport.de - RaumReport website | b-prisma.de/object-shop - GDL object shop | gdlschmiede.de - community knowledge platform all about GDL | gotogdl.net - GDL link portal | selfgdl.de - GDL learning materials
Country / region: Hanover, Germany
RaumReport: interactive Archicad room book
Target group: architects, BIM managers
Supported languages: German fully | English as interface language
Compatibility: Archicad version: 24 or newer for TAB text export and Python reimport. Component import (windows, doors, objects) recommended from Archicad 27 onwards. | Platform: server-side PHP 8.2+ with SQLite - runs on typical shared hosting (e.g. all-inkl.com), locally with Herd or MAMP, or as Docker setup | Client-side: modern browser - Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge in current versions |Python- reimport: Python 3.9+ on the user’s machine; the script installs all further libraries automatically on first run
Pricing model: purchase version and time-limited demo version
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SOLUTIONS FROM b-prisma
Get to know Jochen!
Who are you?
"My name is Jochen Sühlo. I am an architect and have been working full-time as a self-taught GDL programmer for Archicad users since 2001. With my company b-prisma I have been developing professional GDL libraries, parametric objects and special applications as a freelancer for over two decades - including larger shop configuration libraries for the Expert Group (electrical retailers) and tailor-made solutions for numerous architectural firms and other Archicad users in German-speaking countries.
In addition to GDL programming, I maintain two community platforms - gdlschmiede.de as a knowledge hub and selfgdl.de (developed together with Frank Beister, new editorial articles by Lucas Becker) with learning materials - because I am convinced that the Archicad ecosystem lives in good tools and well-documented know-how. Earlier versions of selfgdl.de and b-prisma.de I hand-coded myself as a CMS in PHP, MySQL, HTML and CSS - web development is not entirely new, but has so far always been community-focused, never as a tool application."
What motivated you to develop for Graphisoft products?
"I moved from architectural design to programming in 2001 - purely out of necessity. Back then, the standard libraries in Archicad were often not sufficient for demanding designs. Instead of tinkering with workarounds every time, I started writing my own objects. What began as a pragmatic solution for my own projects gradually became an independent professional role.
What still drives me today: Archicad is an amazingly open system. GDL, properties, the Python API - these are all levers with which you can build precise tools that really save time in everyday office life. With RaumReport, I have consistently used this openness for an area that has remained surprisingly analogue in many planning processes: the room register."
How long have you been active in the Graphisoft community?
"Since 2001 - so a quarter of a century. I started with GDL for furniture, fittings and special components. Over the years, larger library projects, consulting for architectural offices and planning departments have been added. RaumReport is my first foray beyond GDL into a fully-fledged web-based application that interacts bidirectionally with Archicad."
About RaumReport
"RaumReport turns the room data of an Archicad model into a professional, collaborative room register - without anyone other than the designer having to open Archicad. The application runs in the browser, data is uploaded once via Tab text export from Archicad, and from then on the entire project team works on the same database. Changes from the room register can be written directly back into the Archicad model via a Python script - the bidirectional workflow is the core of this project."
Main features
- TAB text import from Archicad - the interactive schedule is read in directly, RaumReport automatically recognizes the column structure via suffixes ([BI] for built-in properties, [P] for user-defined, [GDL] for GDL parameters, [H]/[H1] for section headers)
- Delta import - manually overwritten values are retained during reimport, conflicts between model and room register are detected and can be resolved per field
- Bidirectional connection with Archicad - via an automatically generated, self-installing Python script, changed values are written back into the model, GUID-based and only actual changes are updated
- Component import - windows, doors, objects and light sources are captured per room and can be edited individually, with syncing the information back to Archicad
- Multi-user workflow with four roles (admin, editor, specialist editor, viewer), field-level approvals, comments and complete change log
- PDF export with configurable layout templates, cover page, table of contents, revision overview and closing page
- Excel writeback export - download Excel table, edit in Excel, upload again, changes are applied like manual entries
- Floor plan import from DXF - room-specific SVG floor plans via Python pipeline
- HOAI work phases and room types as filters - fields are shown/hidden depending on the active phase or room type
- Revisions with immutable snapshots and automatically generated revision PDF
- Distribution list & audit trail - who received which version when, optionally with automatic email dispatch of the revision PDF
Demo videos
Generated PDF pages - in classic style
What inspired the idea for your development?
"In more than two decades as a GDL developer, I have seen up close how architectural offices maintain room registers - and it was almost always the same pain: Excel spreadsheets that are maintained in parallel to the Archicad model, mirrored by hand, regularly out of sync. Yet every Archicad room already contains a wealth of structural information: net floor area, wall, floor and ceiling areas, room number, construction phase - all available, but entered again in the room register Excel file.
The trigger was the intensive engagement with AI agents. When I fully realized the potential of AI-generated web content in mid-2025, it was clear: this information needs to be generated out of Archicad - bidirectional, collaborative, web-based.
At the beginning of 2026, the first prototype was running. Five months later, in May 2026, version 2.8 is available as a beta version."
What challenges did you face during development?
"Three major topics:
First: from solo tool to multi-user application with BIM integration. Since mid-2025, I have built around two dozen web applications with AI support - from a simple shopping list to invoicing software to a complete GDL development environment. RaumReport is by far the most extensive project: my first fully-fledged multi-user application with bidirectional BIM integration, role system, audit trail and production-grade print output. I deliberately developed it - like all previous ones - as human-AI co-creation. All architectural decisions, the domain model, the requirements, every spec, every test come from me as an architect and long-time Archicad insider. The concrete code implementation - Laravel controllers, Blade views, SQL migrations, mPDF templates, Python scripts - was created in close collaboration with Claude Code, an AI-powered developer tool from Anthropic.
This has two effects: first, I was able to build an application of this size productively in under six months without having to put my 25 years of GDL work on hold. Second - and this is the real insight - the co-creation model has a positive effect on code quality. The AI questions every assumption, suggests alternatives, writes tests, documents. As a solo architect-programmer, I would not have built many things this cleanly. I see this as a new architectural craft: vision and expertise come from the human, precise execution from a capable AI - with the human retaining responsibility for every design step. This is not “vibe coding” but systematic, spec-driven development with an extremely powerful co-pilot.
Second: the bidirectional connection to Archicad. Assigning properties on re-import sounds simple but is tricky. Nested sub-sections ([H1] headers in the TAB template), continuation groups, DIN 276 codes as property name prefixes - the system has to map all of this flatly to Archicad’s property groups. The first attempt simply looked for properties in the next best group and failed silently. It needed a clean “top-level section tracking” logic so that even a field in a hardware subgroup ends up correctly in Archicad’s interior doors group.
Third: shared hosting realities. The target group is architectural offices, not IT departments. The application has to run on simple shared hosting such as all-inkl.com - no root access, no custom cron, no SSH. This shaped a number of architectural decisions: SQLite instead of MySQL (no database configuration required), photo delivery via a PHP route instead of storage:link symlinks, self-installing Python reimport script instead of user-side pip install instructions."
Are there any interesting insights or behind-the-scenes takeaways?
"One insight that surprised me: how much users themselves contributed to the architecture. In preliminary discussions with friendly architectural offices, it became clear again and again where my developer logic diverges from real everyday office life. One example: in the original workflow, every time you wanted to add a value to a selection list, you had to reopen the dialog - it closed after each click. Only through the feedback of a user who wanted to update twenty values in one go did this become a session-based “list stays open” logic.
A second highlight, technically speaking: the Python reimport script sets itself up completely on first run. It checks whether it is already running in its own virtual Python environment, creates one if not, installs the Archicad module from Graphisoft, and then restarts itself in the virtual Python environment. The user only needs to have Python installed - everything else happens on double-click."
How does your solution provide value for Graphisoft users?
"Three clear value propositions:
Data remains linked to the model. Instead of maintaining a parallel Excel file that is already outdated tomorrow, the room register is fed from the model and can write back to the model. If the client changes a floor finish during specification, this change flows directly into the Archicad property of the room on the next reimport.
The entire project team can collaborate - even without an Archicad license. Interior designers, clients, site managers, specialist planners, external consultants: everyone gets browser access with an appropriate role. This turns the room register into a real collaboration tool instead of a one-way list from the architectural office to everyone else.
Federal and authority standards such as RAS 0550 can be met without manual spreadsheet tinkering. The template defines DIN 276 cost groups, specific header layouts, GWiNr columns - RaumReport renders this exactly as required by the binding planning specification."
Do you collaborate with other community members or teams?
"What I can definitely say: the GDL community is small but very committed. Through the Graphisoft community and Discord, I have been in regular contact for years with German-speaking Archicad and GDL professionals. Suggestions and bug reports from this environment flow directly back into RaumReport."
How can we access your content?
- Direct sale viab-prisma.deas purchase version (coming soon)
- Demo version with time-limited access for testing (on request)
- Support or documentation links:
Future plans or next steps for your development
"The next major topic is a theme system for layout templates with a guided wizard. At the moment, the application has one visual style - that works for most offices, but anyone doing federal projects needs the RAS 0550 layout, and anyone doing private residential work may want something warmer. The wizard is intended to guide users through the most important decisions in 5 steps (theme, identity, accents, photo slots, preview) and output a finished layout template at the end.
In the medium term: - multiple theme packages - classic, RAS 0550, BImA standard, an architect theme, a minimal theme - live PDF preview during wizard configuration - extended component workflow with configurable property filters - multilingual interface beyond the German/English texts."
