Abstract
The operation of so-called Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) does not result in harmful emissions to water, soil and air. In contrast, ZEBs produce energy, water and resources. Therefore, the definition of ZEBs in this paper goes well beyond the definition of (Net) Zero Energy Buildings, which focuses primarily on greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels. The concept of ZEB is based on the decentralization of urban infrastructure systems on the building level. The aim is to avoid environmental impacts during the building operation through sustainable production, management, consumption, and recycling of resources. In order to facilitate an easy evaluation of ZEBs a ZEB assessment tool needed to be developed. This paper discusses the development of the general framework, the assessment method, and the ZEB Assessment Tool (ZEBAT), which facilitates the evaluation of the environmental performance of potential ZEBs. The exemplary evaluation of selected case studies from Switzerland and South Korea illustrates the method and the practicability of the ZEBAT for the evaluation of potential ZEBs. The holistic integration of environmental performance factors and their specific environmental impacts facilitates the successful application of the ZEBAT independently from the specific use of a building and its geographical location.
Highlights
Worldwide, many building certification systems are available in order to promote the design, planning and construction of sustainable buildings
In addition to the conventional approach of Sustainable and Net Zero Energy Buildings [8,9], the concept of Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) discussed in this paper addresses emissions from energy and material flows, which result from the operation of buildings
For the development of the ZEB Assessment Tool (ZEBAT), six specific decision parameters (Pre-Assessment, System boundary, Quantification of environmental impact, Database, Qualitative aspects, Calculation of target value) were compiled in order to be specified in a further step (Figure 1)
Summary
Many building certification systems are available in order to promote the design, planning and construction of sustainable buildings. Examples for such sustainable building certification systems, which have been considered in the framework of this research are: MINERGIE The application of existing sustainable building certification systems such as the DGNB is very complex, because the system aims to support the integrated design and planning of sustainable buildings. Such certified buildings are connected to conventional urban infrastructure systems and aim for significant reduction of environmental impacts by increased efficiency
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