Four Norwegian Zero Emission Pilot Buildings – Building Process and User Evaluation

Abstract

About ZEB The Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB), Norway (www.zeb.no), funds the research work presented in this report. ZEB is a national centre dedicated to research, innovation, and implementation within the field of energy efficient zero emission buildings. The Research Council of Norway assigned The Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art at NTNU to host one of eight new national centers for Environment‐friendly Energy Research (FME). The duration of ZEB is from 2008‐2016. The main objective of ZEB is to develop competitive products and solutions for existing and new buildings that will promote market penetration of buildings with zero greenhouse gas emissions in connection with their production, operation, and demolition. The Centre’s research encompasses residential, commercial, and public buildings.

ZEB focuses on five areas that interact and influence each other: 1: Advanced materials technologies 2: Climate‐adapted, low‐energy envelope technologies 3: Energy supply systems and services 4: Use, operation, and implementation 5: Concepts and strategies

This report is a part of area 4: Use, operation, and implementation.

Objective The objectives are to 1) identify and analyze characteristics of processes leading towards zero emission buildings through studying experiences, drivers and barriers encountered in pilot projects, 2) identify and analyze aspects influencing use of zero emission buildings; and 3) make recommendations on how to plan a successful process towards a zero emission building project with high quality.

Method The results are based on qualitative interviews in 4 case studies of zero emission pilot buildings. The building process and early use phase (where relevant) of each pilot building is studied through individual or group interviews of 5-8 persons per case study. The persons interviewed were clients, building owners, architects, consultants or contractors.

Findings and recommendations Characteristics of successful processes leading towards zero emission pilot buildings are: • To regard the way from high ambitions into good buildings as a development project of its own, requiring careful planning, management and follow-up. • To formulate clear goals, connected to an understanding of purpose and legitimacy. The clients, the executing parties and the building owners and users must be committed to the goals. • To motivate all parties for "mastering the unknown". • To focus strongly on collaboration and involvement, in procurement forms and contracts, through management style and trough the establishment of good meeting arenas. It is important to involve production actors1 early in the development process.