Selamawit Mamo Fufa

Design Strategies for Low Embodied Carbon in Building Materials

The zero emission building (ZEB) research centre in Norway has a series of concept and pilot buildings that investigate design strategies for low embodied carbon in building materials in order to achieve a net ZEB balance; these include two conceptual studies or virtual building models (ZEB office building and ZEB single-family house) and six pilot buildings (Powerhouse Kjorbo, Campus Evenstad, Heimdal high school, Multikomfort house, Living Laboratory and Skarpnes). According to the centre’s definition, a net ZEB balance can be achieved by offsetting the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the production and exportation of on-site renewable energy. This balance becomes ambitious if embodied carbon from building materials is also considered. Experiences collected from the ZEB pilots demonstrate that a combination of carbon reduction design strategies are necessary in order to achieve this net ZEB balance.