Agility in the design process
Benign features in a Net Zero Energy Building
Creativity Coaching for Change and Challenge
Details in Design
Achieving Net Zero Energy status is among the loftiest goals for a green building. A Net Zero Energy building is designed to generate an equal or greater amount of renewable energy than it consumes over the course of a year. There are four classifications of net zero energy buildings, with NZEB:A - A footprint renewables NZEB, being the most rigorous. This classification requires all renewable energy to be generated within the building's own footprint. Alternatively, projects may opt for other routes, such as generating renewable energy within the project site or importing/purchasing renewable energy.
The type of renewable energy used depends on the resources available at the project site. Most projects we've observed use photovoltaic (PV) panels, but some may have access to wind power, hydroelectricity, or biofuel.
Because space within a building's footprint is limited, it becomes increasingly challenging to attain Net Zero Energy status as the building's height increases. For instance, a building taller than six stories in a tropical climate, running an air conditioning system during office hours, presents a significant challenge.
However, the good news is that achieving Net Zero Energy Building status is feasible when considering elements A, B, C, and D!
Agility in the design process
How many times have you encountered a "design freeze", or to experience subsequent design changes that leave you feeling frustrated or powerless? In the present design process, managing such changes is a common yet exhausting task. Multiple rounds of design alterations can make it even more challenging to design a net zero energy building.
With the ultimate goal of achieving Net Zero Energy, projects must adopt an agile approach to continually monitor the energy balance. The energy specialist must remain firmly committed to maintaining this balance, verifying the net zero energy target with each design alteration that affects energy performance. The team should also be equipped to provide swift feedback to ascertain the impact of any change. Designing with agility enables the team to remain fully aware of the end goal throughout the entire design process.
Designing a net zero energy building doesn't imply that there should be no changes during the design process. Rather, the energy verification process should be streamlined to prevent long delays in feedback. An agile design process is the key to navigating these changes effectively.
Benign features in a Net Zero Energy Building
A green building boasts numerous noteworthy features, and a net zero energy building has even more. What features have a benign impact on the environment? And what kind of benign features should a net zero energy building incorporate?
Hint: The answer should be closely related to the natural environment.
When a building is targeting net zero energy, it should fundamentally employ the latest and most efficient technologies (e.g., LED lighting, high-efficiency air conditioning systems, good facade insulation/shading, energy-efficient products like laptops and printers, sensor control to optimize energy usage) to minimize energy consumption. However, even with these features, the energy consumption for such a green building might still be too high due to the limited amount of renewable energy that can be produced within the building's footprint. This is expected. Otherwise, we would observe many platinum-certified green buildings also achieving net zero energy status.
The turning point lies in considering more benign features that make optimal use of the surrounding Natural Environment. In a tropical climate, you have abundant sunlight and natural breezes; in a temperate climate, spring and fall are comfortable seasons; in a cold climate, you could even switch off your freezer during winter, and enjoy transition seasons under comfortable natural conditions. All these are examples of benign features. They help to transform your design into a unique, ideal, and optimized solution. A net zero energy building should be designed specific to its location and project requirements; it should be the best fit for the given conditions!
Another aspect of benign features is optimizing the user's energy usage, which is usually not controllable during the design stage. In green certifications like LEED and Singapore Green Mark, consultants may opt to limit the plug load energy to 25% of the total baseline building energy (whichever is smaller). This is one reason why consultants and clients often overlook the plug load for a green building. However, the plug load should not be neglected for a net zero energy building, as the actual energy usage of the plug load needs to be offset by renewable energy. The team must devote sufficient time to managing the plug load target, introducing features to optimize without compromising the user's needs.
Creativity Coaching for Change and Challenge
The concept of coaching, while new to the building industry, empowers individuals and brings clarity to goals and aspirations. During the building design stage, the team can plan a creativity coaching process as follows:
Stage 1: Expand the mind towards the target
The goal is a Net Zero Energy building. During the early project design phase, it's crucial to broaden the minds of clients, designers, and consultants towards this common target. Expanding the mind includes aligning goals and exploring possibilities. During this stage, everyone should express their thoughts without any apprehensions or constraints. You might be surprised to find that the best ideas can come from a junior engineer or even an intern.
Stage 2: Clarify the concerns, doubts or fear in the team
It's normal to encounter concerns when a new idea is proposed because professionals need to consider how to implement ideas based on conventional knowledge. The second stage provides a platform for professionals to list down limitations and restrictions they have when implementing ideas. Remember, the goal isn't to dismiss any idea, but rather to establish boundaries based on professional knowledge.
Stage 3: Challenge and Change
C H A L L E N G E
The third stage, both fun and demanding, is when the team needs to recognize the established boundaries and consider which ideas can be implemented within their capacity.
Change is a challenge, and a key aspect of a net zero energy building is to challenge conventional design. After a creativity coaching process, the team should have a better understanding of what's possible and how to make it a reality.
Stage 4: Reality, critics and design integration
After going through the above stages, the team can move forward with the typical workshop and design charrette to work on the design and its implementation. A key aspect of stage 4 is maintaining an open mindset, fostering integration, and avoiding siloed work.
Details in Design
We would like to emphasize the importance of meticulous attention to detail in design for the team. These details are critical in the context of a net zero energy building. In conventional design, engineers might oversize systems and create larger buffers, as there are many unknowns or potential unforeseen activities in a building. However, in the case of a net zero energy building, this approach should be reconsidered. Oversizing or creating larger buffers introduces more uncertainty in achieving the target. Setting an unrealistic buffer may also constrain the design, preventing it from embracing more significant challenges. Beyond detailed energy tabulation, the team should designate a clearly defined buffer to accommodate future changes or unexpected loads.
The team should anticipate a comprehensive list of every energy-consuming piece of equipment, and every potential building performance scenario should be considered. It is only with such an exhaustive and detailed approach that the team can confidently proceed with the design target of a Net Zero Energy Building.
This article is produced with first-hand experience in designing a net zero energy building. For more information, please contact joy@joyofsustainability.com.