In the Green Building Revolution, Software is a Driving Force

Environmentally friendly buildings are going to rely heavily on computer software technology.

TOMORROW'S CITY: A rail and city created in Autodesk Civil Visualization Extension. Software is helping drive forward the green building movement. Autodesk

In the wake of the housing crisis, rising energy costs, and the environmental toll of greenhouse gas emissions, green building is about to hit big, and computer software is at the heart of the movement.

In the United States alone, buildings use an estimated 40 percent of the country’s energy. Although U.S. companies spend $800 billion annually on energy costs, an estimated 42 percent of the energy used to heat and cool a building is wasted, according to a GreenLink Alliance white paper.

Climate change has also played a large role in turning the tides on sustainable design, and local, state, and international governments around the world are implementing regulations and energy mandates.

“We’ve really seen sustainable design shift from a nice to do, to an absolutely must do,” Sarah Hodges, Autodesk Senior Industry Marketing Manager said. “So even though buildings can be perceived as having this negative effect on the environment, on the positive side they present the most effective means for improvement.”

Autodesk is among the leading companies in creating 2-D and 3-D design software for the building and entertainment industries.