Net Zero Energy Buildings

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 […]

On Tuesday September 12th, last week, New York City (NYC) Mayor Eric Adams launched “Getting 97 Done,” a new strategy to cut harmful carbon emissions from the city’s many large buildings as obliged under Local Law 97 of 2019. The plan aims to deliver the goals outlined in the broader “PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done,” New […]

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 […]

In this Research Note, we examine UrbanVolt, a clean energy partner for small to medium-sized commercial and industrial businesses that specialises in the provision of energy-efficient lighting and solar panels, without the burden of upfront costs. Founded in 2015 in Dublin, Irish Republic, UrbanVolt gained an early foothold in the LED Lighting-as-a-Service sector. Instead of […]

National climate pledges are inherently ambitious; they appear to represent the educated hopes of governments striving to meet the demands of more conscious citizens and the international community. While few would scrutinize such ambition, not many would expect nations to meet such lofty goals either, with most satisfied to set the bar high and achieve […]

Completed in 2017, the Freiburg City Hall was one of the world’s first public net zero buildings. It generates more energy than it consumes. Designed by the Düsseldorf-based architectural practice Ingenhoven architects and constructed over a period of 33 months, the 24,215 m² new city hall accommodates 840 employees over six floors. It is characterized […]

This Research Note examines what’s behind the Dalkia UK rebranding of several businesses owned by Electricite de France (EDF). Dalkia, a leading technical and energy services company in the UK, is aligning the Imtech Engineering Services, Inviron, Breathe Energy and SPIE UK activities as Dalkia UK. With approximately 4,000 employees, the group reports over £600 […]

Often the most obvious things are the hardest to see, and that could be said of the building envelope in our quest for climate-friendly real estate. Architectural trends over the past few decades have favored glass, prioritizing the facade’s aesthetic appeal and leaving the envelope’s functional aspects to take a backseat. Double or triple-pane glass […]