Harry Weese Associates Selects Buzzsaw.com
To manage planning and design of exclusive Chicago development

SAN FRANCISCO September 28, 2000—Harry Weese Associates (HWA), an internationally acclaimed architecture, planning and interior design firm, selected the Buzzsaw.com™ site to facilitate the planning and design of Chicago's North Avenue Collection, a sophisticated, eight-story, multi-use development on the near-north side of the city. The new building will contain high-end retail shops, restaurants, a health club, four floors of office space and a parking structure. Construction on the North Avenue Collection began this summer and is expected to be completed by Spring 2002.

HWA chose Buzzsaw.com's project collaboration tools and services to ensure that everyone involved in this project has instant access to the latest design documents. Currently, there are more than two dozen project members including the building owner, contractors, mechanical, lighting and structural engineers, as well as new building tenants, collaborating on Buzzsaw.com for everything from meeting highlights and design plans, to the latest code reviews.

"Shortly after the project began in January, we decided to try Buzzsaw.com because we needed to ensure that everyone had the latest design documents at all times," said Randy Dolph, CIO of Harry Weese Associates. "Buzzsaw.com is already saving us time and has proved to be an invaluable resource, especially as the construction industry becomes more comfortable with the realities of a paperless office."

Buzzsaw.com provided HWA additional value by helping reduce the amount of paper the project team was exchanging internally, as well as with other project consultants, reducing related costs. Just the savings in delivery expenses and express services charges are expected to save significant costs for HWA's client.

"By bringing construction professionals together and providing them with access to their critical project documents and resources, Buzzsaw.com's project collaboration tools are successfully increasing efficiency and saving companies time and money," said Anne Bonaparte, co-founder and senior vice president of business development at Buzzsaw.com.

HWA began using Buzzsaw.com to exchange multiple AutoCAD® drawings between the building owner, contractors and project consultants. The information that HWA shares on Buzzsaw.com has expanded to include architectural drawings, a project information page, weekly project meeting minutes and daily correspondence. City zoning and codes reviews also are posted on Buzzsaw.com, informing the owner, architect, and contractor of some of the city's regulations. The goal of posting this information is to eliminate the amount of "information decay" that is frequently a problem during the latter stages of a project where the team members often forget why a certain decision was made early in the design process.

As a benefit to the future tenants, HWA has added a special section on the project Web site specifically for the tenants of the development. Prospective tenants, particularly in cities outside Chicago, will be able to download base drawings for use in their design layout and prepare their interior design plans before even stepping into their new space.

About The North Avenue Collection
The North Avenue Collection, a 251,000-square foot mixed-use development located at the corner of North Avenue and Sheffield Avenue on Chicago's near north side, will include two levels of high quality retail tenants, a pair of restaurants, a two-story health club tenant, four floors of office space and a 350-car parking structure. A transparent four-story rotunda anchors the building at the corner and also functions as the main entrance. The center atrium will be accessible via elevators, escalators and a grand stairway to the restaurants, health club, and office spaces. Exposed concrete floors, columns, and ceilings will set the stylish, loft-like industrial feel, attracting high-tech and emerging market businesses. A south-facing roof terrace at the fifth floor will provide tenants with an outdoor area, which can be used for lunches or social gatherings. Construction is currently underway for the "North Avenue Collection."

About Harry Weese Associates
Harry Weese Associates (HWA), founded in Chicago in 1947, is an internationally acclaimed architecture, planning and interior design firm. Throughout its history, the firm has attracted a broad base of clients and handled a diverse range of projects. Diversity is the firm's strength, allowing it to bring a unique sensibility and awareness, informed by different design applications, to each new challenge. The firm's founder, Harry Weese retired from practice in the late 1980s after a long and distinguished career. Today, the firm is directed by Design Principal David Munson and Managing Principals Jim Torvik and George Vrechek. The firm continues in the Harry Weese tradition, designing buildings that enhance their environment and inspire the human spirit. For information about the company, please go to www.hwachicago.com.

About Buzzsaw.com Inc.
Buzzsaw.com is rapidly setting a new e-business standard for the $3.9 trillion global construction industry. Taking advantage of Buzzsaw.com's open, flexible environment, architects, engineers, contractors and owners create a new project on Buzzsaw.com every 20 minutes, on average. The company offers a comprehensive, easy-to-use set of Web-based project collaboration, bidding, and construction management tools, as well as news and information, building product catalogs, e-business services and a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of construction materials. Headquartered in San Francisco, the privately held company is backed by Autodesk Inc., Morgan Stanley Dean Witter's Private Equity and Real Estate Private Equity Groups, Bank of America, Crosspoint Venture Partners, and Impact Ventures. For more information, visit www.buzzsaw.com.