PlanITImpact

PlanITImpact

PlanITImpact is developing a web application that allows architects and planners to better understand – at the earliest stages of the design and planning process – how a building will impact the environment, the community and the building’s inhabitants. Integrating 3D visualization and tapping into Open Data to gather site-specific information, the tool generates early performance calculations related to energy and water use, stormwater infiltration, greenhouse gas emissions, transportation, building mix, quality of life and potential ROI. The Digital Sandbox KC project focuses on the beta version of the product.

According to 2013 US Energy Administration statistics, commercial and residential buildings use more energy and emit more CO2 than any other sector in the US – 47.6 percent – which is nearly as much as the transportation and industrial sectors combined. In response to this statistic, the sustainable design industry is growing rapidly, and as the public becomes more informed about the global effects of climate change and the impacts that our buildings have on greenhouse gas emissions, the demand for sustainable solutions will only increase. Yet, though the sustainable design industry has seen an explosion in innovative buildings and systems, the tools available to architects and planners are woefully behind the curve.

PlanIT Impact is a web application that is intended to make the schematic phase of the planning and design process really smart. The tool integrates with SketchUp, a ubiquitous 3D modeling tool used by the vast majority of design professionals in the U.S. The tool taps into national and local Open Data APIs to access an aggregate of relevant, site-specific data, which the tool pulls – along with data that is embedded in the 3D model – through a series of algorithms to generate early building and site performance projections. These projections are presented in the form of a 0-100 score in each of the eight modules: energy and water use, stormwater infiltration, greenhouse gas emissions, transportation, building mix, quality of life and potential ROI.  PlanIT Impact offers the ability to explore “what if” scenarios and compare design iterations to better understand how design options affect performance.

“This funding from Digital Sandbox fills a critical gap for us as a tech startup…this is the bridge we needed to be able to launch,” said Dominique Davison, CEO.

http://www.planitimpact.com/