Today, Tolgay Yildiz, CEO of French startup High Cube, introduces us to his company, his vision of the tech, and the renovation and housing sectors. To top things off, we'll discuss their website, which our Wilders worked on during a partner project!
Eco-responsible construction: from design to drawing board to development, via the High Cube x Wild Code School collaboration
Hello, Tolgay! Could you introduce yourself in a few words?
Hello, my name is Tolgay Yildiz. I'm 26 and live in a little town named Épernay, in France. Passionate about architecture and new construction techniques, I continued my schooling with a technical degree and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering that I obtained three years ago.
As part of a partner project, you had the opportunity to work with our Wilders. Could you tell us more about "High Cube?"
During a school project, we had to design and cost the construction of a university residence in Reims, France. To get away from concrete and traditional techniques, I chose to carry out this project using maritime containers at the end of their life. This concept that I had discovered through television reports had seduced me. Since then, I have become fascinated by this metal box and the possibilities of putting it together like a Lego project.
After three years of research and development, support from Innovact (French startup incubator) and a finalized prototype, I decided to create the company on May 12, 2021 in Châlons-en-Champagne, France, near the main roads. Today, our team consists of four people, including a structural engineer, a marketing manager, a salesman, and myself.
Our mission? To create innovative and eco-responsible real estate projects by transforming maritime containers destined to be destroyed. Our concept allows us to considerably reduce our carbon footprint, construction times, and on-site nuisances by removing 90% of the project.
However, in order to reach more customers, we needed a functional and operational website...
Why did you call on our Wilders, and what did you like about working with us?
I discovered Wild Code School through a recommendation from Innovact. Afterwards, I was put in touch with Abdou-Rahim Kerkeb who introduced me to Wild Code School and the Wilders program.
The fact that we have a whole team working on our website and that they are supervised by an instructor was indeed a pleasant surprise.
This project with the Wilders was very instructive because it allowed me to understand the back end of the website, to make a concise specification, to understand what was achievable thanks to a very attentive and explicit team.
What do you remember most about this collaboration?
First of all, I'd like to thank the whole team for the quality of their work and their professionalism. I was able to discover and meet people who have great human values and are passionate about their jobs.
What about the tech, renovation, and housing sectors?
In your opinion, is the digital turn taken sufficiently into account by the renovation and housing sectors? Why do you think so?
No, it's clear that the construction sector is lagging in terms of digitalization. This has caused delays on several levels, from productivity to administrative management, and including customer relations, safety, and construction sites.
However, the sector is trying to catch up through new digital and collaborative tools, including BIM (Building Information Modeling), for example. These tools will enable time savings and visibility on site, resulting in increased productivity and profitability.
What tech issues have you been able to identify in your professional experience?
Following the COVID crisis and lockdowns, we were able to identify the need to digitalize our sales processes as much as possible (online 3D modeling, choice of materials and options, online estimates). This will improve the customer experience, increase our conversion rate, and optimize our schedule—all while maintaining the quality of our projects.
Final words: what are your future projects?
Let's get back to you! What are your plans for the future?
Currently, we carry out real-estate projects for our customers (individual houses, tiny houses, swimming pools...) in our workshop in Châlons-en-Champagne, France.
In the near future, we'd like to digitalize our concept as much as possible through a website with functionalities allowing to model one's 3D project online and offer quotes for potential customers within minutes.
If you had to work with Wilders again, would you do it?
Absolutely, I was lucky enough to benefit from this experience which enriched me personally and allowed us to have a first functional website. I think it's a win-win relationship for any company wanting to go digital.
Thank you for all these answers! Do you have any final words for Wilders?
I'd like to thank the Wilders for their contribution to the creation of the High Cube website and Abdou-Rahim for his guidance. I wish you all success in your professional careers! Thank you.
To learn more...
Would you like to build a project with our Wilders? We invite you to visit our dedicated page: Develop your project here!
For more information on our web development course, please visit our web developer training page.
