BUILD UP

The general definition of nZEB was stated by the EPBD 2010/31/EU as ‘a building that has a very high energy performance’. Following this statement, EU Member States introduced their own specific definition and requirements based on their own context. A comprehensive overview at European level is provided by this paper written by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) which reports the energy targets, balance of approaches and the main specificities of each country.

The EU has established legislative frameworks as EPBD (Directive 2010/31/EU and update) and EED (2012/27/EU) in order to increase the energy performance of buildings, and requiring the nearly-zero energy building (nZEB) target for public buildings as from January 2019.

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. July’s Topic of the Month is the ‘Green Deal’. The website is already available for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

For the 5th edition of the Expert Talks series, the interviewee is Dr Duygu Erten, Senior Sustainability Executive, Green Building certification expert and board member of Turkeco Construction and Energy Inc, the SME she started in 2009. Among other awards, she was recognised as a BREEAM Fellow (2016) and received the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award WSLA (2017) from the US Green Building Council.

In its 2018 landmark report, Global Warming of 1.5 °C, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of a catastrophic climate breakdown if global average temperatures rose by 2 °C. Negative consequences for our communities and planet would be long-lasting and, in some cases, irreversible.

The Cultural-E survey aims to identify major targeted questions and performance indicators that are meaningful to designers and stakeholders in order to define automated data visualisation charts and outputs, generated by energy simulation tools.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Unión de Créditos Inmobiliarios (UCI) are set to finance green investments in Iberia ranging from the refurbishment of existing buildings to the construction of nearly-zero-energy properties. These investments have been made possible thanks to the provision of energy efficiency mortgages and consumer loans for the market.

Proper technology solution-sets can enable a regenerative indoor environment for building users and for the planet, thereby ensuring occupant wellbeing and health. Several aspects are considered for high indoor environmental quality, such as hygro-thermal comfort, visual comfort, indoor soundscape, indoor air quality and a pleasant ambiance.

With its Efficiency House Plus initiative, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community is giving research and development a new stimulus in the field of energy-efficient building. At the same time, the principles of economy, technological freedom, simplification and the voluntary aspect of measures continue to apply.

The architect firm Snøhetta, in collaboration with Arctic Adventures of Norway, Asplan Viak and Skanska, has designed ‘Svart’, the world’s first Plus Energy hotel in a northern climate. The hotel will have about 100 rooms, an onsite education and design lab, and a sustainable farm producing ingredients for the hotel’s four restaurants.

The building, which is divided up into 5 staircases with 7 floors each housing 21 apartments, has an overall surface area of around 32 000 m3 and is managed by IPES-WOBI, the Province of Bolzano’s social housing institute.

The aim of Annex 83 is to develop an exhaustive definition of PED and the technologies, planning tools and planning, and the decision-making process related to positive energy districts. The experience and data to be used in the Annex will be gathered from demonstration cases.

ICEBERG will make significant advances in the uptake of the circular economy in the building industry by developing innovative circular reverse logistics’ tools and high-value secondary raw materials production technologies to establish market confidence and acceptability of recycled end-of-life building materials (EBM).

Europe’s population is ageing and its changing needs are constantly shaping the way we live and interact in communities and environments. Accessibility, sustainability and inclusivity are now prominent keywords that are driving the design of products and of the built environment.

The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment) challenges companies, cities, states and regions to reach Net Zero operating emissions in their portfolios by 2030, and to advocate for all buildings to be Net Zero in operation by 2050.

This webinar discusses the importance of education and training to achieve high-energy-performing buildings, in particular in the context of large-scale renovation interventions. How do we get more skilled workers involved in renovations? Are building professionals prepared for nearly-zero-energy buildings?

This webinar introduces the definition of indoor climate and other health-related indoor conditions requirements, as set out in one of the EPB standards, EN 16798-1. It shows the thermal comfort requirements and how they can be evaluated by the calculation methods defined in the EPB standards.

The RenoZEB platform is a web-based environment where different actors and software tools can work together managing a renovation project, sharing the data and the BIM models, centralising the files and assigning tasks.

The 2030 Palette is a free online platform that succinctly puts the principles and actions behind carbon-neutral and resilient-built environments at the fingertips of designers, planners, builders and policymakers worldwide.

This annual conference provides an annual platform for delegates and members to present and discuss the latest research. Our delegates and members will have numerous opportunities to engage in dialogues about renewable energy and environmental engineering.

ECRES aims to bring together researchers, engineers and natural scientists from all over the world who are interested in advances in all branches of renewable energy systems. Wind, solar, hydrogen, geothermal, solar concentrating and other energy-related topics are welcome.

The International Passive House Conference is the year's premium Passive House event, where over 1000 thought leaders and innovators from around the world gather. Here you will find a wide range of networking opportunities.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Community (EBC) Programme carries out research and development activities on near-zero energy and carbon emissions in the built environment.