We developed a new semi-analytic galaxy formation model: Galaxy Assembly with Binary Evolution (GABE). For the first time, we introduce binary evolution into semi-analytic models of galaxy formation by using the Yunnan-II stellar population synthesis model, which includes various binary interactions. When implementing our galaxy formationmodel onto themerger trees extracted fromtheMillennium simulation, it can reproduce a large body of observational results. We find that in the local universe, the model including binary evolution reduces the luminosity at optical and infrared wavelengths slightly, but it increases the luminosity at ultraviolet wavelengths significantly, especially in F UV band. The resulting luminosity function does not change very much over SDSS optical bands and infrared band, but the predicted colors are bluer, especially when the F UV band is under consideration. The new model allows us to explore the physics of various high energy events related to the remnants of binary stars, such as type Ia supernovae, short gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave events, and their relation with host galaxies in a cosmological context.