A Google for green building products

AUSTIN, Texas--You can think of Green Building Studio (GBS) as a mashup between Autodesk and Google.

The Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company makes a computer automated design application for architects and builders that evaluates a building's energy efficiency. And after it does that, it pops up product recommendations for insulation, lighting and other products to increase efficiency. It makes money from the software as well as generating leads for product suppliers.

The company essentially exists to tackle two problems, according to CEO John Kennedy, who spoke at the Clean Energy Venture Summit taking place this week in Austin. First, the company's software encourages the construction of more energy-efficient buildings.

"Buildings are the largest energy users in the U.S. and the world and consequently the largest producers of greenhouse gases," he said. "And the trend is getting worse."

Second, it hopes to make money by helping companies market their products. Building products right now aren't marketed with laser-like efficiency. Approximately $60 billion gets spent a year on marketing them, according to Kennedy.

GBS launched its first version in 2004 and will come out with version three in the fall. Autodesk sells the software through its reseller channel and the two companies have launched a training program to educate 50,000 architects on how to use the software by 2010.

The company also sells private label versions of the software to manufacturers like Owens-Corning, he said.

Green Building Studio is a mashup of various services to help architects build greener buildings.

(Credit: Green Building Studio, Inc.)

[rsgelber]

re:google for green building

I was confused by your article. Which manufacturers get listed in this company's software? Do all known manuafacturers of a product pop up or is whoever pays to get into this companies software? If it is the later, it would seem that this software's intergrity is compromised because there may be a better product out there for a given application but they did not pay to part of the software. Also what happens if 5 window companies want to market--are they all listed and how would an architect know which one to pick?

Can you please explain. anna hackman www.green-talk.com