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Rueil-Malmaison, France, and San Francisco — Jan. 21, 2015 — Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and Autodesk Inc., a world leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software and services, announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding. According to this agreement, Schneider Electric and Autodesk plan to collaborate to enhance current practices for building lifecycle management based on Building Information Modeling (BIM).
As part of the collaboration, the two companies are exploring ways to complement each other’s strengths to make buildings more energy efficient from the design and construction through operation and end-of-life phases. The collaboration may include new solutions and services in the areas of energy management, building automation and control, and workspace management.
The joint efforts look to combine Schneider Electric’s expertise in electrical distribution, energy, and building management solutions with Autodesk’s portfolio of BIM-based design and construction software such as Autodesk Revit and Autodesk BIM 360.
Today, buildings consume about 40 percent of global energy, 25 percent of global water, 40 percent of global resources and they emit approximately one-third of GHG emissions. Residential and commercial buildings consume approximately 60 percent of the world’s electricity. Yet, buildings also offer the greatest potential for achieving significant GHG emission reductions. The shift toward digital BIM processes is part of the solution to more energy efficient homes and buildings by delivering greater agility and long-term sustainability.
BIM is a process that begins with the creation of an intelligent 3D model to capture, explore, and maintain building data associated with planning, design, construction, and operations. The information in the model remains coordinated and consistent throughout the project and supports simulation, analysis, and collaboration for better decision-making.
"The journey to sustainable high performance buildings starts with taking a comprehensive holistic view of a building life cycle, from design, construction, and operation including adaptation to ever changing needs of businesses and organizations,” says Jean-Luc Meyer, senior vice president, strategy and innovation, Schneider Electric.
“Today’s announcement builds on decades of Schneider Electric’s integrated approach to building management that can reduce energy and capital expenditures, decrease operating expenditures, and improve overall business performance. We see a huge potential in digitizing buildings' project life-cycle. We believe that the cooperation with Autodesk will help drive a deep and long-term transformation in the construction industry, providing greater value to each user and contributing to solve the energy challenge.”
Amar Hanspal, Autodesk senior vice president, Information Modeling & Platform Group, added, “Autodesk has been an active proponent of sustainable building design and construction for years, in part by equipping our customers with BIM tools to do rapid and meaningful energy analysis. The operation and maintenance phase of the building presents a huge opportunity to drive greater energy efficiency over the long-term for building owners, and we’re thrilled to be teaming with Schneider Electric to explore how we can bring new solutions to market that connect energy efficiency throughout the entire building lifecycle.”
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in utilities and infrastructure, industries and machines manufacturers, and data centers and networks. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company’s 150,000-plus employees achieved sales of $31 billion (U.S.) in 2013. For more information, visit www.schneider-electric.com/us.
Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone from design professionals, engineers, and architects to digital artists, students, and hobbyists uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information, visit autodesk.com.
