SR green building firm wins eco award

A small Santa Rosa company is a winner of Microsoft's Ingenuity Point contest, a worldwide competition for software makers who address environmental, education and health issues.

Green Building Studio was recognized by Microsoft for its software that helps architects design energy-efficient buildings.

Green Building's software lets architects and builders test the environmental performance of different building designs. The Web-based system takes less time and is less costly than earlier design programs, according to Microsoft.

Assessments that once took weeks can be done in a few minutes with Green Building's software, Microsoft said.

The recognition will help expand the market for Green Building's software, said John Kennedy, the company's CEO.

"We're excited to see people recognizing the potential of the software to really change the world," said Kennedy.

Using the company's software, government agencies could require builders to make their projects carbon-neutral, he said.

The Web program analyzes a building's design and provides a baseline report on net consumption of fuel, electricity, water and other resources. The software has a database of 50,000 hourly weather data locations that show how a building design will function in different parts of the world.

Architects can add passive solar power, automated lighting controls, window glazing and other energy-efficient features to reduce a building's carbon footprint.

In 2005, Green Building received $700,000 in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Energy Commission, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other agencies to refine the software.

The Microsoft award includes up to $50,000 in marketing, public relations and video assistance.

In February, design software company Autodesk Inc. said it would acquire Green Building Studio for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition hasn't been completed yet, Kennedy said Monday.

Green Building was founded in Sonoma in 1998 by three energy efficiency experts. Originally called GeoPraxis Inc., the company launched its Web-based design service in 2004.

The business changed its name to Green Building Studio in 2005 and moved to Santa Rosa in 2006.

So far, architects have used the software to analyze more than 6,000 building designs.

Green Building has 10 employees. The business will stay in downtown Santa Rosa through the end of this year and may keep a presence in the city after it's acquired by San Rafael-based Autodesk, Kenn-edy said.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.