Event Hosted by ANSYS Highlights the Increasing Importance of Engineering Simulation in the Industry: ANSYS today announced that the first European Built Environment CAE Conference (EBECC), hosted by ANSYS in London in June, was a resounding success. Attendees from some of the most influential civil engineering and built environment organizations -- including the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Ingeciber, Mott MacDonald, Hilson Moran, ARUP and Ramboll -- were present to share best practices in applying the very latest engineering simulation technology. Improved design in public and private buildings and construction is a critical industry challenge, and the EBECC was established as a forum to address some of the issues relative to the built environment, including ventilation and comfort modeling; building structure analysis; explosion integrity, fire management and smoke movement; earthquake and soil mechanics; and environmentally sensitive design. Globally, the industry faces stringent safety requirements and increasing energy concerns, such as the sustainable construction effort in the European Union and LEED certification in the United States. The conference showcased how architects and engineers can apply engineering simulation software from ANSYS to make better informed decisions in order to improve building designs. Performing structural analysis or airflow modeling during the architectural design process -- before any construction is begun -- enables rapid investigation of alternative designs and a far better understanding of the physics that impact building integrity and energy objectives. Parallel sessions at the EBECC discussed topics as diverse as sustainability, wind engineering and pedestrian comfort, equipment design, transportation engineering, fire ventilation simulation, homeland security, and the 2008 Olympic built environment, with more than 30 papers presented in total. Participants came from 10 countries across Europe along with delegates from the United States, China and Israel, making the event international in scope and validating that engineering simulation is an increasingly important element in building design worldwide. "We are extremely pleased that the European Built Environment CAE Conference proved to be so inspiring. Since ANSYS focuses on enabling innovation and pushing the boundaries, we believed an event like this would fill an important void in this industry," said Chris Reid, vice president, marketing at ANSYS, Inc. "Our multiphysics software can be crucial in ensuring that the very best standards in commercial building design are met. The ability to predict and test multiple design approaches and understand the impact through simulated physics can prove invaluable, particularly when you consider the costs, risks and security issues associated with many high-profile developments. Engineering simulation offers this industry so many potential benefits. Given the success of this first event, I'm confident there would be even more interest in a future built environment conference as the use of engineering simulation continues to grow." "Meeting and talking to fellow CAE engineers at EBECC has inspired me to think of new possibilities," said Robert Nyiredy of Lilleaker Consulting in Sweden, who attended the conference. Another participant, Stuart Walker of Faber Maunsell, United Kingdom, noted, "The EBECC gave me the unique opportunity to meet with qualified engineering simulation experts involved in the actual design process of real civil projects (both structural and fluids)." "By bringing together designers with either fluid flow modeling or structural analysis experience at one conference, the attendees realized the benefits that can come from an integrated, comprehensive multiphysics engineering solution -- defining new horizons for their own work. Enthusiastic discussions suggested the direction for using software from ANSYS to better solve future challenges faced by the civil engineering and built environment industries," said Thierry Marchal, industry director at ANSYS, Inc.