GRAPHISOFT Showcases Energy Analysis and Net-zero Homebuilding at GreenBuild

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Nov 13, 2012, 09:11 ET

BOSTON, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAPHISOFT will demonstrate the complete integration of energy analysis technology into its revolutionary, award-winning BIM software at ArchiCAD booth 5232W at GreenBuild 2012, taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA from November 14-16. Attendees will also be shown a special video presentation of the new ABC Green Home, which had its collaborative beginnings supported by GRAPHISOFT BIM Server technology.

With the release of ArchiCAD 16, GRAPHISOFT has once again provided the tools and technology needed to support sustainable design, from the earliest concept phase of any project. The built-in Energy Evaluation functionality of ArchiCAD 16 gives architects an innovative way to create "green" BIM and perform reliable dynamic energy evaluation within ArchiCAD. The technology relies on BIM geometry analysis and accurate, hour-by-hour online weather data.

"When architects make better decisions, designs conform to regulations and satisfy the interests of the client, the community, and the building operator -- everyone wins," said Steve Benford, Managing Director, GRAPHISOFT North America. "That is precisely why we've brought energy evaluation inside our core BIM application."

GRAPHISOFT's BIM Server technology supported collaboration on the ABC Green Home, a collaboration between Southern California Edison and Green Home Builder magazine. The 1695-square-foot model home, on display at Orange County Great Park, demonstrates Net-Zero energy usage principles and has six green-home certifications by four agencies, including the NAHB National Green Building Standard, California Advanced Homes, Energy Star, and LEED Platinum.

"Southern California Edison is proud to be a partner in the ABC Green Home. It's our hope that this visionary project inspires homeowners, builders and renters to think about all the possibilities that are open to them. Every energy-efficient feature, no matter how small, makes a positive impact on their own electric bills and the environment that we all share," said Gene Rodrigues, SCE's director of Customer Energy Efficiency and Solar.

The project demonstrates how to utilize design, planning, engineering, and science to create the ideal green home. Since California is seeking to make Net-Zero energy use mandatory by 2020, this model home and its sustainability template are sponsored by Southern California Edison and Green Home Builder magazine to show builders how they can achieve Net-Zero now.

It's estimated the house can be built for approximately $85 to $125 per square foot, a comparable sum to what most tract homes cost to build today. The home uses off-the-shelf materials and is designed to work for any builder on any lot.

"There's a misconception in the housing business that green homebuilding is daunting," said Nick Slevin, publisher of Green Home Builder magazine and a project organizer. "We built this home out of materials you can get anywhere. It is designed to be easily built by a homebuilder on a lot anywhere in the country, using modern sustainable products and practices."

The home features insulated walls that use less lumber, energy-efficient heat pumps to heat water and the air and provide air conditioning, 5 1/2-kilowatt solar roof panels, a rainwater-collection system, a gray-water recycling system and drought-tolerant plants.

Universal design features are also offered in the ABC Green Home, making it suitable for ownership for a wide cross-section of the American home-buying public. It is handicapped-accessible with wider doors and halls, lower work spaces, and can be adapted for wheelchairs in showers and under sinks.

After the ABC Green Home has been on display for a year at Great Park, it will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and given to a wounded service person. A video demonstration of the project will be shown at the GRAPHISOFT booth.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world's first real-time BIM collaboration environment and GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world's first fully-integrated building energy modeling application that have fundamentally changed how architects worldwide design and collaborate today. Since its 2007 acquisition, GRAPHISOFT has been part of the Nemetschek Group.

About Green Home Builder magazine

Since 2006, Green Home Builder has published quarterly magazines in print and online by Newport Beach, California-based Peninsula Publishing Inc., publishers of business management magazines for homebuilding professionals since 1990. For more information, visit www.greenhomebuildermag.com.

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