Net Zero Energy Building

The new traffic control centre for the Cantonal Police of Graubünden in Chur is a flagship project for sustainable construction with net-zero energy. Ingo Rasp Its compact cubic form minimizes the building footprint while providing flexible, modular interior spaces. Interior walls made of clay bricks and concrete ceilings ensure a comfortable indoor climate and thermal comfort. Ingo Rasp Photovoltaic modules on the roof and façades generate more than twice the building’s energy needs, effectively turning it into a small power plant. Ingo Rasp All technical installations are visible and accessible, facilitating maintenance and future reuse. Ingo Rasp Certified Minergie-A-Eco, the project combines inn... More

Lynden Powerhouse is a highly efficient, net-positive home featuring an additional ADU and a stick-framed garage/shop. It earned multiple certifications, including DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH), ENERGY STAR, Indoor AirPlus, and Built Green 5-star. Courtesy of TC Legend Homes Designed to provide both full-time and temporary housing for up to four separate family groups, the home's complexity required attention to climate control and ventilation. To meet these needs, three HERO 250H-EC fresh air appliances with heat recovery and additional HEPA filtration and a Chiltrix CX50 air-to-water heat pump were installed. Courtesy of TC Legend Homes This setup divides the home into three independently conditioned zones: the downstairs... More

Once a series of mercantile piers and industrial uses cut off from the city by Interstate 95, Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront has been the subject of numerous planning studies over five decades. The new Park at Penn’s Landing will reconnect Philadelphia to its river’s edge by constructing a transformational civic space at the heart of the city’s waterfront. The I-95 Central Access Philadelphia (CAP) project will guide pedestrians from city sidewalks to an 11.5-acre park with a series of public amenities and attractions.  KieranTimberlake Our scope of work includes the architectural design of the central pavilion which will house and support several park amenities, including a café, ska... More

Sitting on a small lot of a tight urban street on the outskirts of downtown Halifax, the (s)efficient house overlooks a south-facing garden while keeping the east views of the industrial lands to a minimum. The retired homeowners wanted to downsize in retirement. With 960 sq. ft. of living space on one level, the house has minimal upkeep and future accessibility potential. An additional 300 sq. ft. of garage space allows for the storage of cars and other items. The living space has the opposite "gull wing" roof shape allowing the main living spaces to have high, vaulted ceilings which make the compact interior feel voluminous. The house is efficient, but the (S) in the name of the house stands for sufficient. It is not a large house, and... More

The Charleston Branch of the New York Public Library, located in an underserved community in Staten Island, stands as a pioneering civic institution. Designed by ikon.5 architects, this 10,000-square-foot facility is not merely a repository for books and digital information, but a vibrant community gathering space, setting a new standard as the first Net-Zero Energy library in New York City. Jeffrey Totaro   Contextual design and urban integration Addressing its suburban context—bordered by parking lots and Fairview Park, a recreational landscape—the library skillfully mediates between these two conditions. It creates a welcoming community plaza and entry portal off the parking area, forming an "urban room" that bri... More

Pacific Landing is a mixed-use, Net Zero, LEED Platinum-certified affordable housing project designed for people with disabilities and low-income residents. Located on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, near downtown and the beach, it replaces a former gas station on a 14,160-square-foot corner lot with a 42,000-square-foot, four-story building developed by Community Corp of Santa Monica. The project provides 37 residences along with social services, a café, and community amenities to support its residents holistically. Patrick TIGHE Architecture Patrick TIGHE Architecture Architecture rooted in sustainability and communityThe design reinterprets traditional home imagery through broken-down massing, creating smaller volume... More

NetZeroRowHouse began as two architects designing and building a home for their family in the Capitol Hill / H Street neighborhood of Washington DC.  A simple notion about adding solar panels started the journey to create a Net Zero Row House. Caption The original 1925 brick rowhouse was completely reconstructed and expanded.  The front façade and porch were retained to preserve the character of the street.  A third-floor addition, for the principal suite and home office, is setback from the existing roof line, creating a private roof deck.  The lower cellar level was fully excavated with a new entrance to access the accessory dwelling unit / rental apartment.  The addition is clad with a combination of... More

This silky shining dwelling is located in an rural expansion area. At first glance this rustic laid back house does not stand out among the surrounding houses. The burnt wood subtly refers to black barns in this area.  John van Groenedaal The origin of the black-burned facade cladding technique is in Japan, where it is called Shou Sugi Ban. They use this age-old technique to make wood maintenance-free and sustainable. Burning creates a layer of carbon on the wood so that the ingress of moisture and mold is prevented.  John van Groenedaal The chamfering of the charred house follows the border of the plot. It is also oriented to the position of the sun. The entire house forms an asymmetrical sculptural play of mass and o... More

The newly opened Wren Urban Nest, based in the heart of Dublin, is a 137-room, nine floor hotel designed and built using the most advanced carbon reduction technologies, making it one of Europe’s most sustainable hotels in a major city centre.     Eliminating the need for fossil fuels, the building uses 100% renewable energy and is the first hotel in Ireland to comply with the World Green Building Council’s definition of ‘Net Zero Operational Carbon’, without having to purchase carbon offsets. Caption With architectural, civil and structural and mechanical and electrical engineering design from interdisciplinary practice, BDP, the team has taken a number of steps to set the agenda and exceed ‘N... More

Jabe Blumenthal knows numbers. After graduating from Yale with a degree in Applied Mathematics he joined a little-known software company in the early 80s, Microsoft, and co-designed a little program we now know today as Microsoft Excel.   Jabe also knows climate change. He has served on the board of Seattle-based Climate Solutions for over a decade, advocating for ‘practical and profitable solutions to global warming’ throughout the Pacific Northwest. He also knows a thing or two about the costs and benefits of climate-friendly construction. He served on the board of the Bullitt Foundation when that group planned and built its noted “living building,” the Bullitt Center.   So when Jabe and his family be... More

The new office building of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS – Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social) is situated in an area of urban development in northern Granada, where a great deal of construction activity is still taking place. With its angular shape, it almost completely covers the triangular plot. The representative new building, which is oriented towards the three surrounding streets, notably contributes towards shaping the newly created cityscape.A double-layer glass skin envelops the three-storey building. The inner façade with its sound reduction glazing minimizes the noise pollution from the three adjacent streets and has low thermal emissivity. The outer layer, made from vertical, active, laminated glass louv... More

Solar panel “wings” power Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation at Mohawk Collage, the result of a progressive net-zero design by mcCallumSather and B+H Architects The new Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation at Mohawk College’s Fennel Campus in Hamilton, Ontario, is the region’s first and Canada’s largest net-zero energy institutional building.It opened its doors to students in the Fall of 2018. New students were greeted by 96,000 squarefeet of solar-powered state-of-the-art labs, workshops, open study spaces and lecture theatre, creating a new paradigm for sustainable building and learning in North America.Mohawk Collage Chief Building and Facilities Officer, Tony Cupido, steered the development on behalf of the Col... More

Innovative design, natural slate cladding and modern glass walls to reflect contemporary home trends. This house has been developed by Sustainable Energy & Housing architects to become a Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB). A floating building representing a creative challenge, but both architecturally stunning and functional at the same time.The home looks like a building floating among the trees to blend with the existing nature, seeking the best views and the sunlight. The project consists of an isolated building, with a ground floor, a first floor and a semi-basement which sits on the hillside, in the space generated by the hill as it slopes down, producing as little impact as possible and involving the least amount of civil work on the... More