Chicago /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - At the 2007 Greenbuild Expo, Autodesk Inc. and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) presented an update on their ongoing collaboration to expand the use of technology to facilitate adoption of sustainable design and green building.
Autodesk also showcased a technology concept for a new sustainability analysis dashboard that could be used in combination with the Revit platform for building information modeling (BIM) to provide architects, engineers and designers with real-time graphical feedback about the impact of their design decisions on the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating of a project.
"As we've worked closely together over the past year, it is clear that USGBC and Autodesk share a vision of using technology to drive the mainstream adoption of green building practices," states Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. "We're very excited about the sustainability analysis dashboard concept, and look forward to continued cooperation and new technology developments that will accelerate green building practices globally."
Autodesk's proposed sustainability dashboard concept, showcased during the opening plenary session of 2007 Greenbuild Expo, could facilitate sustainable design and LEED certification by, for example, enabling architects and designers to continually calculate such factors as use of energy and municipal water, stormwater runoff, recycled material content, carbon footprint, daylighting and potential LEED rating. The dashboard could also be used to track LEED points through the design process to help achieve additional points that would increase the overall LEED score. The dashboard was presented by Autodesk and the USGBC as a technology concept, but it is not a commercially available product.
At the USGBC's Formal Education Committee's Educator Summit, Autodesk also launched the first version of the new Autodesk Sustainable Design Curriculum. Now available for free to post secondary educators worldwide through the Autodesk Student Engineering & Design Community Faculty Lounge, the Autodesk curriculum will enable educators to promote sustainable design practices and integrate BIM techniques and technology into the classroom and studio.
As part of its ongoing initiative to increase awareness of sustainable design as an important solution to global environmental challenges, Autodesk is sponsoring the documentary series e2 (The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious), produced by kontentreal and releasing on PBS this fall. The USGBC and Autodesk are co-hosting the premiere of season two at Chicago's Field Museum, followed by a panel discussion of industry leaders about the practice of sustainable design featuring Ed Mazria of Architecture 2030, Rick Fedrizzi, Phil Bernstein of Autodesk, and Sadhu Johnson, commissioner of the environment for the City of Chicago.
"As the world's leading provider of design software to the building industry, Autodesk is committed to helping the industry design and build greener buildings," notes Phil Bernstein, FAIA, LEED AP and vice president of Autodesk AEC Industry Strategy and Relations. "We look forward to continued collaboration with the USGBC to develop technology and education solutions that achieve this goal."
About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading nonprofit organization composed of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings and communities that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 12,000 member companies and organizations, a 75-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED rating systems and services, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of more than 70 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups.
About Autodesk
Autodesk Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
The technology concepts described in this release are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services or features. Accordingly, purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on this information. Autodesk assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist or change after the date on which they were made.Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
Source: Autodesk Inc. (www.autodesk.com)
For additional information, contact Noah Cole, [email protected], or Elizabeth Bennett, [email protected].
