by Susan Smith

One sixth of the electricity consumed in the United States goes to cool buildings, at an annual cost of $40 billion... In the 1970s the yearly high temperature in Los Angeles exceeded the former high temperatures caused by the eruption of Krakatau in 1883...

These facts are among the "tips of the day" on the GeoPraxis, Inc. Web site, reminding visitors of the critical need for energy analysis and consciousness in architectural design. The same site offers practical assistance in meeting that need.

GeoPraxis is an AEC software company that builds energy analysis tools and Web-based solutions that integrate with 3D building information models. This integration gives architects feedback about the energy consequences of their design at an earlier phase of the process than has normally been possible. Key to the integration is gbXML, the standard "green buildings" schema for that data.

GeoPraxis' primary software product, the Green Building Studio (GBS) Web service, is a free engineering analysis tool that is designed to deliver interoperability between CAD design teams and engineers using energy analysis tools such as DOE-2, eQUEST, and EnergyPlus, and the sizing software of building product manufacturers such as Trane. GBS was released to the public in April 2004.

Estimating Green

GBS works with Architectural Desktop, Building Systems, and Revit from Autodesk and with ArchiCAD from Graphisoft. GeoPraxis also maintains partnerships with Bentley Systems and building equipment manufacturers to ensure that the technology extends to many design teams across the AEC industry.   >>>

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The Web-based Green Building Studio service connects architects' models to analytical software such as DOE-2 and eQuest. Image: Geopraxis, Inc. A simple model within Autodesk Architectural Desktop can be analyzed using a GBS plug-in. Image: HOK   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.