Zero Net Energy Buildings are Advancing Rapidly

Zero net energy (ZNE) buildings are becoming increasingly popular as a way to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. These buildings generate at least as much energy as they consume, resulting in a net-zero energy balance. The latest ZNE buildings being constructed around the world are pushing the boundaries of sustainable architecture and energy efficiency. 

With the high IAQ typically found in these buildings, employee health and productivity are usually measurably improved. Given that people are the most costly item for most companies, by one or two orders of magnitude (the 3-30-300 ratio), this is another way in which the company benefits financially from these innovations. 

JPMorgan Chase has announced that their new all-electric headquarters, housing up to 14,000 employees, will be all-electric and ZNE. Designed by renowned Foster + Partners, the 60-story tower will be completed in 2025 with very high IAQ. The system will double the amount of outside air circulated, and also use an advanced HVAC system to clean recirculated air. The smart building will use sensors, AI, and machine learning to predict and adapt to energy needs. The site will recycle or reuse 97% of the building materials from the demolition. And the building will also feature outdoor spaces. 

At the other end of the scale, the Douglas and Gates Elementary School, in Acton, MA, opened in 2022 and, when fully operational, will be ZNE and zero-net water. The school was designed by Arrowstreet, and is all-electric. It uses displacement ventilation and decoupled the heating and cooling of spaces – which is provided by radiant panels – from the airflow. Eighty-five percent of the water doesn’t need to be potable, so rainwater is collected in huge cisterns and used for such purposes as flushing toilets. School officials note that cleaner air is producing healthier students and improved educational outcomes. And for schools, which lost an estimated $10.7 billion in funding last year due to student absenteeism, student health is important for many reasons.

Completed in 2013, the Bullitt Center in Seattle is a six-story office building that generates all of its energy from solar panels and a geothermal system. The building is designed to use 83% less energy than a typical office building in the United States and has achieved a LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating for sustainable building design. 

In Norway, the Powerhouse Brattorkaia is energy-positive, producing more energy “than it consumed through the production of building materials, construction, operation and disposal of the building.” It combines solar energy, other forms of renewable energy, and very low energy consumption. For the designers, “form follows environment,” leading to an iconic shape.

In Asia, the Shanghai Tower was the world’s second tallest building at its opening in 2015, and achieved LEED Platinum certification and a ZNE status. The tower features a range of energy-efficient technologies, including a double-skin facade that reduces solar gain and improves insulation, as well as a rainwater harvesting system, and a waste heat recovery system.

We could list countless others.

Overall, these latest ZNE buildings represent a significant milestone in the transition to a more sustainable and energy-efficient built environment. Their designers emphasize that usually they were doing nothing new; rather, they were aggregating known, existing technologies.