Embodied Energy
Net Zero Buildings Explored: The Exploratorium, San Francisco
August 29th, 2024Breaking Down the New DOE Definition of Zero Emissions Buildings
July 10th, 2024
Net Zero Buildings Explored: International House Sydney, Australia
As the first timber structure of its scale in Australia, International House Sydney (IHS) occupies an important position in the nation’s architectural history. Completed in mid-2017, IHS gained a 6 Star Green Star for office design and achieved As Built (v3) rating, alongside many other awards for design, operation, and especially embodied carbon. The six-story […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: Cambridge University’s Civil Engineering Building
The University of Cambridge, in the UK, is known as one of the leading academic institutions in the world and maintaining that reputation in modern times demands progressive strategies such as net zero buildings development. Completed in 2019, the university’s Civil Engineering building has become a beacon of sustainable intentions within a major redevelopment of […]
“Our Industry is Not Moving Fast Enough” – UK Green Building Council
The United Kingdom (UK) is falling behind in its projected green building roadmap according to the UK’s Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) progress report. The initial 2021 roadmap demanded a 19% drop in emissions over the past four years but the latest data shows just a 13% fall, more than 30% short of the target reduction. […]
Reviewing the 2024 Smart Building Overlay to RIBA’s Plan of Work
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has created a Smart Building Overlay to the 2020 RIBA Plan of Work, which clearly defines the stages of development in building projects. This Smart Building Overlay acts as a resource for all built environment professionals, clients and end users, looking for guidance on how to incorporate smart […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: NASA Sustainability Base
Dubbed the “First Space Station on Earth” —the NASA Sustainability Base, has served as an experimental model for smart and net zero buildings for over a decade. In this research note, we explore how the building was designed, constructed, and operated to achieve a positive impact on the environment. NASA teamed up with William McDonough […]
Defining a Zero Emissions Building from the Top Down
A zero emissions building is not as easy to define as you may think. Should it include embodied carbon, for example, should efficiency and clean energy generation be specific parts of the definition or should it simply refer to the level of emissions, whatever the approach? These are the kinds of questions being discussed in […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: Tesla Gigafactory, Nevada
Like most of the projects Elon Musk is involved in, the plans laid out for the Tesla Gigafactory are on another scale to other net zero buildings and the project has rewritten the rules on how to design, build, and operate a facility. Covering a footprint of approximately 5.4 million square feet, for comparison that […]
Net Zero Buildings Explored: The SEE Institute, Dubai Sustainable City
The SEE Institute is a flagship for net zero buildings in Dubai Sustainable City, an environmentally responsible mixed-use and residential district in the desert. The 50,000 square foot net zero commercial building will be dedicated to the advancement of sustainability knowledge, technology, and innovations through research, training, events and incubation of tech startups working on […]
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