New Release Enables Unprecedented Sustainability Design Support and Energy Measure Comparisons for Architects at the Earliest Stages of Building Scheme Selection LOS ANGELES, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- AIA 2006 -- Green Building Studio, Inc., the leading sustainability analysis software and services company in the architectural, engineering, and construction industry, today announced the general availability and release of Version 2.0 of the Green Building Studio web service. This release includes significant new functionality designed to support sustainability design decisions and make detailed comparisons between different building design and equipment measures. Version 2.0 improvements have been based on feedback on requirements from hundreds of architects involved in sustainable design. The development of these new features has been funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the California Energy Commission, and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, in order to provide the tools necessary to evaluate even greater sustainable building design options for today's architects. The Green Building Studio web service continues to be the first and only web service specifically designed for architects to use at the earliest phase of design to fully understand the cost-effective opportunities to maximize their building's sustainability. The new features, called "Design Alternatives," enable architects and engineering teams to quickly analyze various changes to their building design including orientation, glazing options, envelope constructions, lighting technologies, and HVAC technologies. Further, manufacturer products can now be applied with a simple click to understand how specific building products perform when included in an actual building design. EnergyPlus capabilities and single-family homes are now enabled in the service as well. These features are the enabling technologies necessary to meet the aggressive energy and resource goals being asked for by today's building owners and the AIA. Jean Lupinacci, Director of the US EPA ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial Branch, states, "Energy Efficiency is a critical step to a green building, and the Green Building Studio web service is the type of tool that makes it easy to integrate top energy efficiency into the critical design phase of new buildings. We look forward to many more new buildings earning the ENERGY STAR and helping to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases while costing less to operate due to the Green Building Studio web service."
