Pathway to Net-Zero Carbon Buildings
Authors
Lalinde Vallejo, Valeria ; Saiz, Maria Camila
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-06-01
Pages
74
Abstract
Buildings shape how we live but also consume many materials and emit significant greenhouse gases. Because of this, the building sector is central to climate action. Net Zero Carbon Buildings (NZCB) aim to eliminate or minimize a building’s carbon emissions across its entire life cycle, from design and construction to use and end of life. Yet construction companies lack clear, practical strategies to design, build, and operate such buildings. This thesis therefore worked with real-estate development companies to co-design a strategy that reduces their buildings’ carbon emissions and moves them toward NZCBs. The work draws on Design for Sustainable Transitions, a framework for understanding and supporting change in complex systems, to analyze the industry’s structure, its enablers, and its constraints. It also uses Participatory Design to involve key actors and co-create effective solutions. Methods such as interviews, affinity diagrams (grouping insights to find patterns), and workshops were used to gather knowledge, map connections and pathways, and create spaces for ideation, discussion, and evaluation. The outcome is a practical, clear, and tailored guideline for real-estate development companies. It brings together design and behavioral strategies to reduce operational carbon (emissions from building use, such as energy for heating, cooling, and lighting) and supports companies in defining their own route toward decarbonization and a more resilient built environment.
Byggebranchen og bygninger former vores hverdag, men forbruger store mængder materialer og udleder betydelige mængder drivhusgasser. Derfor spiller sektoren en central rolle i arbejdet med at begrænse klimaforandringer. Netto-nul CO2-bygninger (NZCB) er en tilgang, der søger at eliminere eller minimere en bygnings CO2-udledninger gennem hele dens livscyklus, fra design og opførelse til drift og endt levetid. I dag mangler byggevirksomheder dog klare, praktiske strategier for at designe, bygge og drive sådanne bygninger. Dette speciale har derfor i samarbejde med ejendomsudviklingsselskaber samskabt en strategi, der kan nedbringe deres bygningers CO2-udledninger og bringe dem tættere på NZCB. Arbejdet bygger på Design for Sustainable Transitions, en ramme til at forstå og støtte forandringer i komplekse systemer, for at analysere branchens struktur, drivkræfter og barrierer. Samtidig anvendes participatorisk design til at involvere nøgleaktører og udvikle løsninger sammen med dem. Metoder som interviews, affinitetsdiagrammer (at samle indsigter for at se mønstre) og workshops blev brugt til at indsamle viden, kortlægge forbindelser og veje frem samt skabe rum for idéudvikling, dialog og evaluering. Resultatet er en praktisk, klar og målrettet vejledning til ejendomsudviklingsselskaber, der samler design- og adfærdsmæssige strategier til at reducere bygningers driftsrelaterede CO2 (fx fra energi til opvarmning, køling og belysning) og støtter virksomheder i at finde deres egen vej mod afkarbonisering og en mere robust, modstandsdygtig bygningsmasse.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]