Across the world there are many examples of buildings that aim to be net zero. This article will look at five of these, assessing how they are trying to be net zero.
First lets start by looking at what a Net Zero Energy Building is. A net-zero energy building is a structure with net-zero energy consumption, i.e., the total amount of energy utilized by the building annually equals the amount of renewable energy produced on-site. The goal of a net-zero energy building is to contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere, helping to lessen the impact on our environment.
In the UK there are 6 office buildings which have achieved carbon net zero status, these are;
The Venus, TraffordCity
The Vic, MediaCityUK
The Alex, MediaCityUK
Quay West, MediaCityUK
Digital World Centre, MediaCityUK
16 Robertson Street, Glasgow.
Below we are going to look at three buildings in more detail.
The Venus, TraffordCity
The Venus is one of the first buildings in the country to be independently verified as Net Zero Carbon using the UK Green Building Council’s definition.
The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) places the building in the top 25% of UK non-domestic buildings for environmental performance.
The Venus building operates the ISO 50001 Energy Management system with EventCity working towards ISO20121 sustainable event management certification.
The Vic, MediaCityUK
Earlier this year, MediaCityUK’s newly refurbished The Vic became one of the first buildings in the UK to achieve net zero carbon status.
The MediaCityUK team implemented 26 energy saving projects, reducing electricity consumption by 800 MWh – the equivalent of 232 tonnes of carbon dioxide, reducing carbon emissions from energy by 13%.
The latest verification now means half of the buildings at MediaCityUK,are net zero carbon.
Quay West, MediaCityUK
Quay West is an innovative building aimed to be net zero. Any remaining emissions from the newly built building is offseted through a Verified Carbon Standard tree-planting project in the North West to absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere.
This shows the green ambitions of the building, showing it can can lead the way in the transition to net zero.
If you'd like Promptus to help you build towards net zero, email us for a FREE consultation now: info@promptusltd.com.
