Nov 30 2005
Autodesk, Inc. today announced a partnership with the French association Emergency Architects, to donate software that will help the association provide rebuilding advice and technical assistance to communities affected by natural disasters.
"Autodesk is committed and uniquely qualified to help rebuild devastated areas both in the United States and abroad," said Autodesk Chairman and CEO Carol Bartz. "Because of the multitude of industries Autodesk serves, we are able to provide help with a variety of projects, from reestablishing infrastructure, to the design of homes and commercial buildings."
Part of Autodesk's ongoing commitment to sustainable design, Autodesk has donated 20 copies of Autodesk AutoCAD Revit Series software to architects working in Emergency Architects' Kabul workshop in Afghanistan as well as similar donations to their architects assisting with reconstruction work in Sri Lanka and in Sumatra, Indonesia, following the December 2004 tsunami. Working in the "universal language" of 3D models, the software can help Emergency Architects rebuild wherever the need is greatest in the world, regardless of language barriers. Three-D models also permit the designers to make the best use of environmentally friendly materials, minimize waste and maximize energy efficiency throughout the life of a structure. Autodesk AutoCAD Revit Series combines industry-leading AutoCAD software and state-of- the-art Autodesk Revit Building software for building information modeling (BIM), allowing Emergency Architects to more quickly design buildings to assist impacted communities.
"Thanks to the active and generous participation of Autodesk, Emergency Architects has been able to help rebuild areas in Indonesia and Sri Lanka that were destroyed by the tsunami," said Alice Moreira, communication director of Emergency Architects. Emergency Architects' reconstruction work in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia adheres to a sustainable development approach that takes social and cultural context into account. As a result of its work in Indonesia, Emergency Architects was awarded the 2005 "Design for All" Award from the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI). In Afghanistan, the organization has established a workshop in Kabul to train students and young Afghan professionals to use new architectural techniques such as BIM and enable them to take an active role in the reconstruction of their country following 20 years of war, a long draught and recent earthquakes. To date, more than 50 Afghan students and professionals have been trained.
"Through this partnership, Autodesk hopes to provide these devastated areas with the tools they need to rebuild," said Jay Bhatt, vice president, Autodesk Building Solutions Division. "We're honored to help facilitate the great work performed by Emergency Architects."
Autodesk's partnership with Emergency Architects is a further testament to its commitment to help affected communities throughout the world. In 2000, Autodesk donated Autodesk MapGuide software and $50,000 to Roots of Peace, a humanitarian organization founded in 1997 dedicated to eradicating landmines worldwide. Prior to using the software, workers went into the fields holding maps and marked where the landmines were located. Using Autodesk MapGuide, workers now have precise maps and can plot locations of existing mines, automating the process and significantly reducing human risk. Since using the software, Roots of Peace has decreased the number of mines in Croatia from 1.2 million to 700,000.
In the United States, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Autodesk worked with Cleveland-based Adenium Systems and fellow sponsors McGraw-Hill Construction and Cisco Systems to give local architects and builders access to design tools for rebuilding New Orleans and the surrounding communities. A trailer stationed in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Kenner, Louisiana, a small town west of New Orleans, has been designated "the studio," and includes six computers loaded with AutoCAD, Autodesk Architectural Desktop, Autodesk Revit Building, and Autodesk DWF Composer software products.