The culmination of seven years of work, SEED has been created by faculty members Omer Akin, Steven Fenves, Ulrich Flemming, James Garrett and Rob Woodbury, with the help of 16 graduate students. Once an architectural program is developed and represented in a design with the aid of drafting software, the program sits on a shelf collecting dust. This is a problem because it eliminates the dynamic connection that should exist between a design and its requirement specification. Details that might have been overlooked can now be automatically embedded into the plans. It can help the designer with the routine exploration and information management that is necessary with every project.
Architects can use the software to estimate costs before they put hours of work into a design.
Designs can be modified easily, providing up to date changes on an ongoing basis. Computer models that used to take hours can now be built in minutes. The software can be adapted to include relevant information for specific types of buildings. For example, it can keep track of specific building codes for a health clinic as well as the number of examination rooms required per full-time physicians. An online server is being planned to enable architects to explore a variety of design possibilities.