By Erin Weaver
Two West Coast projects are the first to achieve Net Zero Energy Building Certification in a program launched by the International Living Future Institute in late 2011 (see “Net-Zero Certification Spins Off from Living Building Challenge,” EBN Nov. 2011).
Both of the certified projects are retrofits: Painters Hall, in the Pringle Creek community near Salem, Oregon, is an 80-year-old building converted into a community center; Integrated Design Associates’ IDeAs Z2 Design Facility in San Jose, California, is a bright office space in a formerly windowless bank. Both buildings utilize rooftop solar arrays to produce enough energy for the buildings’ needs; at Painters Hall, excess generation offsets the energy used for the neighborhood’s ground-source heat system, and at IDeAs Z2, the PV system is integrated with the roofing membrane. Find out more at www.living-future.org/netzero.
The project team sought to create a healthy home for a family of four to live in as independently and with as little environmental impact as possible, situated on a sustainable homestead producing energy and food. The owners did not want to build on prime agricultural land, but chose a rural site that had good solar and/or wind resources, with space for animals and gardens. With the intention to use only as much energy as could be produced onsite, a building strategy was developed that reduced the amount of energy needed to run the household and used an appropriate site-specific renewable energy solution. This has helped the occupants cultivate a strong sense of stewardship of the local environment and given them the tools to help others do the same.
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Net-Zero Certification Spins Off from Living Building Challenge
