Week-12 Pre-Session The problem with net-zero building

To design a total net-zero building, so many aspects should be considered, such as construction, designing and operation. Moreover, some other constraints should be taken into consideration as well, including total costs and energy consumption both direct and indirect. Apart from investment, the location could be another important factor. It is more likely to build a single net-zero building in remote areas because of sufficient solar energy compared to urban area, which, however, causes significant high cost and energy consumption.

Therefore, just as the article states, it is too idealistic to achieve the concept of net-zero buildings by a single building. However, it is possible to achieve in a larger scale: net zero community, which does not mean all the buildings should be net-zero building in the community but the community as an integrate part can be more sustainable. . In order to achieve the best use of the equipment and more efficient energy using, “energy” and infrastructure can be shared together in a community. We can find this mode mostly in university campus, such as Cornell University. Admittedly, there may be some potential issues related with net-zero community which prevent the wide spread of it, such as ownership and financing conflicts. As a result of this, It is still a long way to go for both the net-zero buildings and communities, which should be given careful consideration before construction.