New Literacy Center in Pennsylvania Demonstrates Value of BIM for Green Building

BOSTON, May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AIA 2008 National Convention and Design Exposition -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that Burt Hill, an architecture, engineering and design firm, has been selected to receive a Revit BIM Experience Award. At an Autodesk customer appreciation event to be held this evening, the firm will be honored for its successful use of the Revit platform for building information modeling (BIM) to design buildings that have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Revit BIM Experience Award is presented to commercial firms, educational institutions and individuals for innovation and excellence in implementing the Autodesk Revit platform (which includes Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP software applications) on one or more projects.

"The Revit platform for BIM has made it possible for us to achieve complete design integration and model-based analysis, both of which are crucial requirements for performance-based design," said Mark Dietrick, director of research for Burt Hill. "We are using the information-rich digital model created with Revit Architecture in combination with sustainability analysis tools very early in the schematic design phase to evaluate specific aspects of a green design. This allows us to balance requirements for building energy performance against cost, schedule, and experiential aspects of the design."

Burt Hill's services include architecture, engineering and master planning. With more than 1,000 professionals operating from 10 locations in the US and offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and India, Burt Hill offers clients expertise in sustainable design, energy management and technology integration. The firm has a longstanding history of commitment to sustainable design and was the first architecture/engineering firm to join the USGBC. Some of the firm's notable projects include the 26-acre Canal Point Master Plan, Dubai, UAE; the Biomedical Science Tower, Pittsburgh, PA; and the Advanced Technology and Learning Center for the Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Autodesk BIM solutions used by the firm include Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, Revit MEP, Autodesk NavisWorks and AutoCAD Civil 3D.

BIM is an integrated workflow built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from design through construction and into operations. By adopting BIM, architects, engineers, contractors and owners can easily create coordinated, digital design information and documentation; use that information to more accurately visualize, simulate, and analyze performance, appearance and cost; and reliably deliver the project faster, more economically and with reduced environmental impact. Case Technologies provided training services to help Burt Hill with its transition to BIM.

BIM Used for LEED Certified School District Project

Burt Hill is currently designing a new Literacy Center in Springfield, Penn. Located on a wooded hillside, the 50,000 square-foot facility is scheduled to open April 2010 and includes two wings designed to wrap around a mature grove of oak trees. A single-story wing will house classrooms and an art center, and a three-story wing will include further classrooms, a library, offices, and spaces for special education and multipurpose activities.

In addition to the demanding budget and schedule constraints that typify school building projects, the plan for the Literacy Center required that it achieve a LEED certification. The Burt Hill team leveraged Revit Architecture and Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) Virtual Environment tools to analyze the project model. The results were used to determine the optimal size, orientation, location, and glazing of the windows to provide effective daylight levels, reduce glare and maintain comfortable temperatures with as much energy efficiency as possible.

"Burt Hill is one of the earliest adopters of BIM and Revit Architecture, and we're particularly pleased to present them with this award," said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. "Burt Hill's use of the Revit platform to create green building projects means that they can analyze and optimize building performance early in the design phase, which underscores the value of BIM for sustainable design."

About the Revit BIM Experience Award

The Revit BIM Experience Award celebrates building industry professionals and educators around the world who are helping to drive transformation of the building industry through building information modeling. Autodesk honors firms with this award for innovation and excellence in implementing the Autodesk Revit platform (including Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP software applications) for building information modeling on one or more projects.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, NavisWorks and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

(C) 2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Autodesk

CONTACT: Noah Cole of Autodesk, +1-503-707-3872, noah.cole@autodesk.com
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