CHICAGO - GeoPraxis has announced the release of its Green Building Studio Web service, enabling building design teams to integrate whole-building energy analysis into their practices.

According to the company, Green Building Studio (GBS) provides early-stage energy analysis while identifying appropriate product information to building design teams. Users of Autodesk, Graphisoft, and Bentley 3D-CAD and building information modeling (BIM) tools can use Green Building Studio at no charge, the company says. GBS can assist design teams working to qualify their building designs for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program, as well as local codes and utility efficiency programs.

Green Building Studio seamlessly links building information models or 3-D CAD building designs with energy analysis, says the company. It enables designers to immediately understand the operational and energy implications of early design decisions using Green Building XML (gbXML) connectors for Autodesk® Revit® 6, Autodesk® Architectural Desktop 3.3, 2004, 2005, Autodesk® Building Systems 2004, 2005, and Graphisoft's ArchiCAD 8.0 and 8.1 both on Mac and Windows. Connectors for Bentley products will be available later in 2004. The GBS Web service can be used with building designs in all North American locations, the company says.

Design teams can register for the Web service directly at www.greenbuildingstudio.com.

Publication date: 05/03/2004