The "Sun Ship": PlusEnergy building by Rolf Disch SolarArchitecture, Freiburg, Germany
Photo credits: © Rolf Disch SolarArchitectureThe vision of The Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings, ZEB, is to eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions caused by buildings. This national research centre will place Norway in the forefront with respect to research, innovation and implementation within the field of energy efficient zero-emission buildings.
The main objective of ZEB is to develop competitive products and solutions for existing and new buildings that will lead to market penetration of buildings that have zero emissions of greenhouse gases related to their production, operation and demolition. The Centre will encompass both residential and commercial buildings, as well as public buildings.
In addition to being highly energy-efficient and carbon-neutral, the buildings and related solutions also have to fulfil a range of other criteria in order to be competitive. They need to provide a healthy and comfortable indoor environment and be flexible and adaptable to changing user demands and needs. They need to be cost-effective, i.e. give economic benefits to producers, users and the society. They need to be architecturally attractive and easy to construct, use, operate and maintain. Finally, they need to have minimum environmental impacts during production, use and demolition, and be robust with respect to varying climate exposure and future climate changes.