Carbon-Neutral Architectural Design

The energy used to build and operate buildings is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. While it is possible to reduce emissions through low-carbon design, many architects are not trained to do this. Filling an urgent need for a design reference in this emerging field, this book describes how to reduce building-related greenhouse gas emissions through appropriate design techniques. It presents strategies to achieve CO₂ reductions, with an emphasis on control of energy flows through the building envelope and passive cooling and heating strategies. This new, revised edition is updated throughout and includes a new section on embodied carbon and new chapters on daylighting and nature-based cooling.

Features:

• Adds new chapters on daylighting and nature-based cooling with numerous updates throughout the rest of the chapters
• Presents strategies, illustrated with examples, for new construction and existing buildings to reduce energy consumption and reduce emissions
• Explains the origins of CO₂ emissions associated with the operation and fabrication of buildings: supplying water, disposing of waste from the building, and proposes strategies to reduce them
• Covers carbon calculations, thermal comfort, indigenous technology, climate‑responsive design, passive cooling and heating, solar design, air flow analysis, daylighting, building simulation and microclimate design with abundant examples
• Examines siting/location to design buildings that adapt and mitigate their effect on climate change