Additional Support Facilitates Interoperability, Reuse of BIM Data, and the
Design and Construction of Better-Performing, More Resource-Efficient Buildings

PHOENIX – Greenbuild International Conference and Expo – Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure that sustains our world, today announced that it has added Green Building XML (gbXML) 0.37 schema support to its Hevacomp products for building energy design, analysis, and simulation. The Hevacomp software joins a growing number of gbXML-enabled Bentley products, which also include Bentley Architecture V8i, Bentley Building Mechanical Systems V8i, Bentley speedikon Architectural V8i, and Bentley Tas Simulator V8i. The latest gbXML schema promotes the design of better-performing, more resource-efficient buildings by providing interoperability among gbXML-enabled Building Information Models (BIMs) and engineering analysis tools. These tools now include Bentley’s Hevacomp Simulator V8i – which takes full advantage of the U.S. Department of Energy’s industry-standard EnergyPlus simulation engine to provide highly accurate building energy analysis and design – and Hevacomp Mechanical Designer V8i. This additional capability enables engineers, architects, and energy assessors to automatically share the models they create in gbXML-enabled BIM applications with Hevacomp Mechanical Designer and Hevacomp Simulator for analysis. The data exchange is seamless and enables energy analyses that empower project teams to accurately design and reliably predict building energy consumption, CO2 emissions, operating costs, and occupant comfort.

As John Crosby, Bentley product manager, Building Performance Group, explained, “This newest enhancement to our Hevacomp product line not only brings tremendous efficiencies to project teams, but it also enables them to increase the energy performance of the buildings being designed and constructed. When architects and engineers create 3D models using gbXML-enabled BIM applications, all zones, spaces, surfaces, and energy data associated with the model can be automatically identified and shared with the energy analysis tools in our Hevacomp applications. Through this streamlined data exchange, as designs are refined and multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios are evaluated, all of the engineers, architects, and energy assessors on the team are provided with a clear understanding of the energy implications of changes made and options available to them.”

Among the key features and benefits of Bentley’s gbXML-enabled Hevacomp products are:

* Automatic reuse of BIM information in energy analysis applications to allow for a seamless workflow among architects, mechanical engineers, and designers without requiring extra steps to redefine spaces and settings,
* Validation of the gbXML file to verify the accuracy and completeness of the data contained within it,
* The ability to import construction types, such as wall assemblies, glazing types, and roofs, and automatically add them to the BIM propagated in Hevacomp, reducing translation errors and saving time,
* The ability to make global changes to a project and examine design alternatives,
* Additional tools to facilitate third-party certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Noah Eckhouse, Bentley vice president, Building Performance Group, said, “Bentley’s additional support of gbXML in our Hevacomp products further extends our long-standing commitment to interoperability and iterative design processes. We first introduced gbXML support in our BIM applications in 2007 in recognition that adoption of this schema enhances collaboration, increases productivity, and, ultimately, will help the infrastructure community at large meet global demand for new, improved, more sustainable infrastructure.”

Hevacomp Simulator V8i and Hevacomp Mechanical Designer V8i, along with Bentley Tas Simulator V8i, are part of Bentley’s Energy Performance Series. This robust software for building energy design, analysis, and simulation makes it possible for engineers, architects, and energy assessors to better understand and accurately predict the energy consumption, CO2 emissions, operating costs, and occupant comfort of projects ranging from small and simple to very large and highly complex. Bentley’s Energy Performance Series has been proven in the very demanding U.K. market for the design and construction of high performance “green” buildings and now supports U.S. and Canadian standards.

For additional information about Bentley’s Energy Performance Series, visit www.bentley.com/eps.

About gbXML

The Green Building XML schema, referred to as “gbXML,” was developed to facilitate the transfer of building information stored in CAD building information models, enabling integrated interoperability between building design models and a wide variety of engineering analysis tools and models available today. For additional information, visit www.gbxml.org.

About Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 2,700 colleagues and offices in more than 45 countries, achieved in 2008 the milestone of $500 million in revenues, and, since 1995, has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

For additional information about Bentley, visit www.bentley.com. To subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts, visit www.bentley.com/rss/news. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, visit www.bentley.com/yearininfrastructure. For information about Be Communities, a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit http://communities.bentley.com.

# # #

Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, and Hevacomp are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.