Energy modeling is a hot topic in new construction projects as well as building retrofit, renovation and facility management. Federal, state and local governments are not only holding private firm construction to higher green standards, but the public sector overall is getting increased pressure to obtain higher LEED ratings and to produce high-rating energy proficiency analysis. (Read more in our earlier article: GSA Moves to LEED Gold for All New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations) If you’re a stranger to energy modeling, green building, or sustainable design, here are three resources that can help bring you quickly up to speed on mandates, implementation tips, and future of sustainable buildings.

Once upon a time GIS sat in its own little bubble – mapping the world obliquely, orthogonally and with untold potential for data integration, location-based intelligence gathering and analysis, and so on. Today that little bubble has burst opening new windows of opportunity that couples the visual power of high resolution GIS imagery with the evolving needs and mandates that drive the AEC industry – sustainable design, an increasingly visually-oriented workforce and a utilities infrastructure system in desperate need of an overhaul. In light of these drivers, GIS and AEC folks are marrying up big time. Take for example a quiet little union that is happening at Autodesk. According to industry publication, GISCafé, in the past year Autodesk has quietly, yet deliberately, disbanded its GIS division and moved it under its AEC Solutions division, once the official headquarters of AEC flagship products such as Revit and Civil 3D.

If you’ve got time to take a break from those never ending holiday pot luck lunches this month, why not join two live webcasts on the topic of Improving Federal Energy Performance. Hosted by DLT Solutions and Autodesk, Industry experts John Sullivan and Angela Chan will discuss how Autodesk BIM Solutions inform energy-efficiency improvement decisions by enabling you to rapidly create and analyze models of new and existing buildings and systems.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the Autodesk See the Advantage Virtual Event back on October 5th – don’t worry! All of the webcasts and documents were archived on the Website for you to view on demand. You can access the archive here: www.dlt.com/seetheadvantage . The archived event is a little hard to find, but your best bet is to navigate straight to the Auditorium in the virtual event hub where you’ll find the webcast archives. If you’re looking for a good read, go to the Exhibit Hall and click on your professional track (Buildings, Utilities, Civil Engineering, etc.) Each “booth” has its own resource section including white papers and videos. I found the Buildings booth to have the most – but all provided some useful resources.

In 2003, GSA created the National 3D-4D-BIM Program to “promote value-added digital visualization, simulation and optimization technologies to increase quality and efficiency through GSA project lifecycles and beyond.” GSA is responsible for meeting the space requirements of federal agencies along with providing buildings and construction guidelines for these resources. While adopting specific CAD standards and project requirements, GSA has also committed to strategic and incremental adoption of 3D, 4D, and BIM technologies.

By Beau Turner, Director of Business Development, Building Solutions Group, Avatech Solutions Originially published in [acronym] magazine, Issue 11 Building teams are looking more closely at Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in the midst of the worldwide economic crunch. In fact, IPD is emerging as the standard for early collaboration and powerful decision-making in the building industry. IPD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) together can further boost productivity and reduce risks. What is IPD? IPD is an arrangement between designers, engineers, contractors and owners where all share in both the risks and rewards for a given project. Experience reveals four main benefits to using IPD:

By Beau Turner, Director Business Development, Building Solutions Group, Avatech Solutions Originially published in [acronym] magazine, Issue 10 The severity of the current economic downturn has seen the public sector striving to increase the value of its services. While private construction projects languish due to the credit crunch, new government building projects are emerging to create jobs and keep the economy moving. In the midst of this opportunity, government decision makers are under even more pressure than usual to ensure optimal use of tax dollars.

Got questions? We’ve got answers. Each issue our team of experts weighs in on a variety of topical issues relevant to public sector digital design. In this issue our team of experts includes leading technical and public sector experts from Avatech Solutions, CADD Centers of Florida, U.S. CAD, and CADD Microsystems. With the weight of current economic pressures on business organizations and government agencies alike, we asked our network of experts to weigh in on the following question:

Imagine you are standing in the lobby of your new civic center. To the left, you see the reception area and foyer meeting space. With a movement of the mouse your view switches to what you would see if you were looking outside the south window. Switch off the structural view to see all the electrical and piping systems tracing their outlines above and around you as you walk toward the elevator. No, this is not a movie and no you are not on the holodeck of Star Trek’s Enterprise. You are experiencing a building information model where design visualization crosses the line into design virtualization. Real 3D design is now pervasive; driven by the vast improvement in understanding that designers and clients gain. Today, anyone can walk down the street to Home Depot to obtain 3D drawings of a new custom kitchen renovation project from multiple angles. They aren’t in color and don’t show the details of materials and lighting effects, but they are a vast improvement over that of a 2D plan, which most people cannot picture. Large building projects are taking the pervasiveness of 3D, combined with the power of building information models a step or two further down the visualization line – adding color, materials and lighting effects at the basic end, and comprehensive, animated, virtual walking tours at the higher end.

Building information Modeling (BIM) adoption plays a significant part in supporting the creation and maintenance of green buildings. [acronym] shows how three examples highlight where BIM can help you design greener buildings today. For several reasons, not the least of which is global climate change, sustainable building has become a practice of critical interest. ‘Sustainable’ buildings minimize the use of resources such as energy, water, materials and land through optimal design. Green buildings are designed and operated to create healthier and more productive work and living environments through natural light and improved air quality. Sustainable buildings can also reduce long-term operations and maintenance expenses.