Streamlining Green Building Design
Green Building Studio, Inc.
Autodesk, Inc.
Ill Mclnnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA 94903
Telephone: 800-964-6432
http://usa.autodesk.com/
Environmental Problem
The International Energy Agency estimates that
existing buildings are responsible for more than
40 percent of the world's total primary energy
consumption and up to 30 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, buildings
consume 20 percent of the world's available
water, a resource that becomes scarcer each year,
according to the United Nations Environment
Programme. Therefore, the need to design
buildings that minimize energy use and conserve
water is critical throughout the world. To maximize
impact and reduce costs, it is important for
architects and building designers to incorporate
sustainable elements up front in their designs
rather than including them as an afterthought.
Recent concern over the impacts of global climate
change has caused many governments to modify
regulations, requiring buildings to reduce fossil fuel
use and carbon dioxide (CQ>) emissions by 50
percent with the goal of becoming carbon neutral.
In 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
developed the L eadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system, which
provides building designers, owners, and operators
with a framework to identify and implement
practical and measurable green building design,
construction, operations, and maintenance
solutions. LEED® certification provides independ-
ent verification that a building was designed and
built using strategies to conserve energy and water,
be healthier and safer for occupants, reduce harm-
ful greenhouse gas emissions, lower operating
costs, increase asset value, and reduce waste sent
to landfills. The USGBC estimates that LEED®-certi-
fied building designs are estimated to increase
building valuation, decrease building vacancy, and
improve retail sales by 40 percent.
SBIR Technology Solution
With support from the EPA's Smali Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, Green
Building Studio, Inc., developed a web-based
modeling tool to streamline the design of
sustainable buildings. The Green Building Studio®
web service helps designers and architects analyze
water use in a building, eligibility of the LEED®
daylight credit, renewable energy potential at the
building site (using photovoltaic panels and wind
energy), and the natural ventilation potential of the
building. It also provides the ENERGY STAR score,
detailed weather data, and the potential for
achieving carbon neutral building operation. The
system supports not only commercial structures,
but also single- and multi-family home types.
Green Building Studio web-based energy analysis
software provides design alternatives analysis, so
users can examine building alternatives to bolster
energy efficiency. In addition, the software summa-
rizes natural ventilation potential, comparing the
hours required to mechanically cool the building
versus the hours required to use outdoor air to cool
the building naturally. Carbon emission reporting
encompasses almost every aspect of the building,
while daylighting supplies data on qualification for
the LEED® daylight credit.
Application of the Green Building Studio tool can
be accomplished in less than one day. Traditionally,
sustainability analysis has been separate from the
building design workflow, but Green Building
Studio has made it an integral part of the Building
Information Modeling (BIM) process.
Commercialization Information
With support from the EPA's SBIR program, Green
Building Studio developed and enhanced its web-
based energy analysis software tool to streamline
the design of sustainable buildings. By 2008, more
than 6,000 users had registered for Green Building
Studio's web service to assess their building's
energy, water, and carbon emission performance.
The assessment, which previously took up to sev-
eral weeks, can be completed in minutes and at
lower cost using today's leading BIM tools.
In 2008, Autodesk, inc., a world leader in 3D
design, engineering, and entertainment software—
including AutoCAD® software—purchased the
Green Building Studio web service, integrating it
into the Autodesk® family of solutions.
With a significant percentage of the world's build-
ings designed in some aspect by using Autodesk
Autodesk® Green Building Studio® can help designers,
architects and engineers perform faster and more
accurate energy analysis of multiple building design
iterations in the cloud.
EPA SBIR Success Stories

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software, the acquisition of Green Building
Studio brings this tool to a much larger market
and provides it far greater visibility. Autodesk®
Green Building Studio® technology can be
licensed either as a subscription entitlement to
qualifying Autodesk products and suites, or as
a stand-alone web service. Acquisition of
Green Building Studio enables Autodesk to
enhance its focus on green building and LEED®
certification while advancing sustainability as
one of its core values.
Company History
The Green Building Studio web service was
developed by GeoPraxis, Inc., supported by
funding through the EPA's SBIR program and
grants from the California Energy Commission
Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program,
the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, and
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Energy
Design Resources Program). Based in Santa
Rosa, California, GeoPraxis, Inc., was founded
in 1998. Initial research and development work
began in 1999, and a production version of the
Green Building Studio web service was
released in April 2004. GeoPraxis, Inc., was
renamed Green Building Studio, Inc., in 2005.
On Earth Day in April 2008, Microsoft recog-
nized Green Building Studio as one of its five
Gold Ingenuity Point award winners. In this
worldwide contest for independent software
vendors (ISVs), winners are chosen from
entrants around the world that submit solutions
to address needs in education, health care, and
clean technology.
Autodesk's acquisition of Green Building
Studio's assets was completed in May 2008.
Autodesk is a 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 continues to develop the
broadest portfolio of 3D software for global
markets. Customers across the manufacturing,
architecture, building, and construction industries
use Autodesk's BIM software, Green Building
Studio, to help create sustainable buildings and
identify cost-effective ways to reduce environmental
impact and improve performance.
SBIR Impact
Buildings are responsible for more than 40 percent of the world's
total primary energy consumption, up to 30 percent of global greenhouse
gas emissions and consumption of 20 percent of the world's available water.
¦ Green Building Studio, Inc., developed a web-based modeling tool to stream-
line and greatly improve the design of sustainable buildings enabling users to
assess their building's energy, water, and carbon emission performance in just
minutes at a fraction of the cost of traditional assessments.
¦ Green Building Studio was acquired by Autodesk, Inc. and is offered as one
of its Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure portfolio of tools to help users
incorporate sustainability into their designs.
With a significant percentage of the world's buildings being designed
in some way using Autodesk software, the Green Building Studio tool is
now brought to a much larger market and has
the potential for significant impact on the
design of green buildings while advancing
sustainability worldwide.
EPA SBIR Success Stories

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