Lumion for multidisciplinary projects: an interview with Royal HaskoningDHV
How one of the oldest Dutch engineering companies approaches visualization
Meet the team
Royal HaskoningDHV is one of the oldest international engineering companies in the Netherlands. With offices in more than 20 countries and over 6,000 employees, they specialize in a wide range of industries such as aviation, maritime, energy, water, and urban development.
Their history began in 1881 when two ambitious Dutch engineers, van Hasselt and de Koning, established the first independent engineering firm in the Netherlands, J. van Hasselt & De Koning. In 1981 the company received the designation 'Royal' and became Royal Haskoning. Concurrently, in 1917, three civil engineers—Dwars, Heederik, and Verhey—started DHV. Both companies joined forces in 2012 to form Royal HaskoningDHV.
We sat down with visualization experts Marcel Boender and Edwin Vonk to learn more about the company, their projects, and the role Lumion plays in their work.
Tell us more about yourselves.
Marcel: I started my career as a software engineer in the building branch of a large Dutch research institute called TNO. Early on, I began incorporating 3D into my work to support the applications we developed. I was also very interested in the visual aspect—how to make something that looks nice. I was then hired by a company that developed and sold VR software, where I further honed my 3D skills and began working on more visually oriented projects. In 2005, I joined Royal HaskoningDHV to work mainly on visualization projects across all business lines.
Edwin: I joined the company 17 years ago as a CAD draftsman after graduating in architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Utrecht. I was eager to dive into technical work after university, which provided a solid foundation for my career in visualization. Ten years ago, I joined an international team and began working on larger projects—master planning and port projects, primarily in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, but also in South Africa. Today, I’m one of our firm's lead visualization experts.
Traffic simulation redesign option of Hofplein Rotterdam. Royal HaskoningDHV
How is visualization used in your company?
Edwin: Our company operates as a matrix. Instead of having dedicated visualization teams, we have designers in every business line who use visualization software daily. This creates an informal network of visualizers within the company.
Marcel: We have an intranet portal where you can find colleagues based on their projects, specific software skills, or design styles. If you think of any CAD or visualization software, I assure you that someone in our company specializes in it. You can see their models or renders and check their availability, which is invaluable in a company like ours.
Marcel Boender
Visualization Expert at Royal HaskoningDHV
My colleagues showed me what they could do with Lumion, and I was sold. The fast rendering time, extensive library, and efficient workflow really made the software stand out.
Could you tell us more about the projects you work on?
Edwin: We are both in the mobility and infrastructure business, and I’m currently on a team called Smart Urban Environment—Urban Development. The team is mostly landscape architects and urban designers. We work on a wide range of projects, from very large ones that can take years to complete and involve over 50 people, to smaller projects that run for a few weeks to three months. I find it incredibly rewarding to work on these complex, large-scale projects and then visualize them in a way that tells the whole story. Combining the efforts of 20 colleagues into one image that conveys the entire project is extremely fulfilling for me.
Marcel: I agree. I enjoy helping people communicate their designs both internally and externally. While most of our work involves client communication, there is also an important aspect where clients need to communicate design to their own audiences. Being able to think along with them and help translate their story is very rewarding. I’m part of the Electrical and Mechanical team within the Infrastructure group where I also provide additional support for software development. Edwin and I work closely to improve visualization quality and workflow.
How does Lumion fit into your workflow?
Edwin: We’ve recently adopted a new working style. Sometimes, we have sketch sessions with clients or project teams and do live 3D presentations in Lumion. This allows us to test design ideas, make quick changes, and see the results immediately. It saves time for detailing later and makes the process more engaging, which is a key factor for us in bringing the best impact to our clients.
Marcel: We work with a number of partners to make this happen, and Lumion has been a great addition to our toolkit. We use it at all stages of our projects. For example, when sending a project quote, we can include proposal designs and visuals. It’s also used for marketing and communication purposes. The variety of projects we handle keeps the work exciting and broadens our knowledge across different fields such as maritime, aviation, and industry.
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How did you and your team learn about Lumion?
Edwin: In 2016, I started looking for a plug-and-play solution and found Lumion. The learning curve for Lumion is steep but manageable—within an hour, you can create decent visualizations from your models. The software’s ease of use and the extensive asset library were major factors in our decision to adopt it. We bought our first Lumion 6 license and have been using the software ever since. Also, some juniors who joined us had previous experience with Lumion from university. Other juniors are trained to use Lumion on the job.
Marcel: At that time, I was in contact with visualization colleagues at NACO, a world-leading airport consultancy, and a company of RoyalHaskoningDHV. They were on a tight deadline for a large project, and needed to speed up their render times. They showed me what they did with Lumion, and I was sold. The fast render times, extensive library, and efficient workflow made Lumion stand out.
Energy Island. Royal HaskoningDHV
What about the software helps you in your process?
Edwin: The asset library and rendering speed are key factors. Additionally, the continuous development of Lumion ensures that limitations are addressed and where possible with updates. Also, Lumion is very stable. The number of issues I've encountered over the years is close to zero.
Marcel: Edwin and I are usually the first to upgrade to the latest version. Within the company, we are Lumion "key users“. We test new versions before they’re rolled out to the rest of the company. The responsiveness of Lumion’s tech support is another advantage: they’re quick to help with any issues, which is crucial, especially when deadlines are tight. With each software update, many issues are resolved, and the new upgrade process is very efficient. It only takes about two minutes to update.
Edwin Vonk
Visualization Expert at Royal HaskoningDHV
Lumion's ease of use, stability, and the extensive asset library were major factors in our decision to adopt it. We use it in every stage of our projects.
How do you see the industry evolving, taking AI and other technological advancements into account?
Edwin: In our team, we make use of parametric design to help with modeling. Where things get repetitive or seem like a lot of work modeling, like making curbs, road markers, or facades, it can be useful to automate your process. Also, in our team we’re working on a parametric toolkit that helps collect all kinds of data into your model. These developments can save a lot of prep time and helps focus on the design and visualization side of projects.
Marcel: AI is a new technology that is making a fast and fierce entry into the world of visualization. Some people feel threatened, while others see potential advantages. I am one of the latter. AI already helps us improve our work, specifically when pre-processing photographs for montages. My expectation is that AI support will be a helpful addition to our workflow in many more stages to come, both for stills and animations.
Proposal for an elevated conveyor belt. Royal HaskoningDHV. Lead architect: Joris Smits
Visualize any concept
As a trailblazer in large-scale multidisciplinary projects, Royal HaskoningDHV continues to uphold their status of an esteemed engineering company across various industries. As shown in their work, Lumion is a powerful companion that can assist in the creation of any project, big or small.
Start with a free 14-day Lumion Pro trial and bring your ideas into the view.
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