Sefaira is a software company specializing in

cloud-based Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over mul ...

software for energy-efficient building design. In 2011, Sefaira won the

Green Building Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planni ...

Innovation of the Year award at London’s Ecobuild. The company was founded in 2009. On February 8, 2016, Trimble Inc. announced the acquisition of Sefaira Ltd. Sefaira will join

SketchUp SketchUp is a suite of subscription products that include SketchUp Pro Desktop, a 3D modeling Computer-Aided Design (CAD) program for a broad range of drawing and design applications — including architectural, interior design, industrial an ...

in the Trimble Architecture & Design division, part of Trimble Buildings.

History

Sefaira was founded in 2009 by Peter Krebs and Mads Jensen to provide the building industry with software to design and create buildings. Co-Founder and CEO Mads Jensen said in an interview, “we set out to create a new type of web-based design tool that would allow green buildings to become the norm.” The founders derived the name Sefaira from the Greek word Sfera or sphere, symbolizing the earth and the company’s holistic approach to building-energy conservation. In 2009, Sefaira won the

INSEAD INSEAD, a contraction of "Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires" () is a non-profit business school that maintains campuses in Europe ( Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East ( Abu Dhabi, UAE), and North America (Sa ...

Business Venture Competition, and shortly after Sefaira was incorporated in London, UK, with offices opening in New York, US, shortly thereafter. In 2011, Sefaira cloud based analysis platform was voted the most promising new technology at the London Ecobuild. In April 2012, the company announced that it had received $10.8 million in Series A funding from Braemar Energy Ventures in partnership with Amsterdam-based Chrysalix SET and UK-based Hermes GPE., and in July 2012, the company announced the public launch of the Sefaira web application. In 2013 and 2014, Sefaira won several awards and accolades, including being listed as part of the Global Cleantech 100 - the top 100 cleantech companies judged most likely to make a significant market impact over the next 5–10 years according to the Cleantech Group.

Products

The company’s primary product is Sefaira, a web-based performance analysis platform specifically built for

conceptual design Conceptual design is an early phase of the design process, in which the broad outlines of function and form of something are articulated. It includes the design of interactions, experiences, processes, and strategies. It involves an understanding of ...

. Sefaira is targeted towards

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

consultants A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servic ...

and building designers. It performs whole-building physics-based analysis of water, carbon and renewable energy potential allowing designers and architects to explore design options. The software includes support for

. In 2013, Sefaira released a new plugin for SketchUp that connects energy analysis and daylight to building design. In 2014, Sefaira released a new plugin for Autodesk Revit that connects energy analysis and daylight to building design. In 2015, Sefaira released Sefaira Systems, a product designed for HVAC designers to do system sizing and energy analysis using SketchUp and Revit models. In 2020, Trimble released SketchUp Studio 2020, whose file format can be used by Sefaira.

Awards

* 2009 – INSEAD Business Venture Competition – Winner * 2011 – Green Building Innovation of the Year – Winner * 2012 – Going Green - Global Top 200 Private Companies * 2013 – Red Herring 2013 Top 100 Global * 2013 – Sustainability Leaders Award – 2013 Winner for best Software Innovation * 2013 & 2014 – Global Cleantech 100 award * 2014 – Architizer A+ Awards – Best App – Jury's Winner * 2015 – Edison Awards – Bronze – for Energy Management/Conservation Category * 2015 – Dutch Green Building Council – Duurzaame Innovation (Sustainability Innovation) Winner * 2015 – Sefaira is named in the 2015 Global Cleantech 100 for a third year in a row * 2019 – The PBD Performance Based Design approach using Sefaira and SketchUp featured in Design Process chapter of MEEB 13th Edition (Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings) * 2020 – Sefaira+SketchUp design wins ICF Magazine Small Residence project of the year award * 2022 – Project Stasio: Winter 2022 Challenge-Simple Box Modeling Overall Winner

References

{{reflist Software companies established in 2009 Computer companies established in 2009 British companies established in 2009 Computer companies of the United Kingdom Software companies of the United Kingdom