Designing Holistic Zero Energy Homes in Denmark

Designing zero-energy buildings (ZEB) is a complex but not an impossible task, which has also been illustrated through demonstration projects, including houses that produce as much energy as they use on a yearly basis. Over the last years an increased interest for ZEBs is also seen in practice, however, designing ZEBs is still challenging. In order to gain further currency, we need to collect new knowledge and communicate it in an easy applicable way for the building industry.
This paper presents the development and objectives of a publication entitled “Zero Energy Buildings – Design Principles and Built Examples for Detached Houses” with a long-term perspective heading towards 2035 building design and targeting practicing architects and engineers as well as developers. The publication introduces a number of design strategies and technologies which are particularly important for the development of zero energy houses, and identifies technical and architectural potentials and challenges related to the application of these. The publication argues that the key issue is to design the buildings through a cross-disciplinary approach to architecture and based on an integrated design process.
The project is part of the Danish Strategic Research Centre for Zero Energy Buildings at Aalborg University, Denmark.

Keywords: Holistic zero energy building design, architecture, design principles, cross-disciplinary design, integrated design