HouseZero Unveiled at Harvard
John Hill
4. december 2018
Photo: Michael Grimm © Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities
The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC) has announced the completion of HouseZero, the retrofitting of a pre-1940s building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into its headquarters and "an ambitious living-laboratory and an energy-positive prototype for ultra-efficiency."
Part of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard CGBC does what its name implies: it "aims to transform the building industry through a commitment to design-centric strategy that directly links research outcomes to the development of new processes, systems, and products." Its new headquarters, designed by Snøhetta with engineering by Skanska Teknikk Norway, becomes both a prototype and research lab for the CGBC's ambitions.
The design's "radically ambitious performance targets," as spelled out in a press release, are just that:
- Nearly zero energy for heating and cooling,
- Zero electric lighting during the day,
- Operating with 100 percent natural ventilation,
- Producing zero carbon emissions.
"As a prototype, HouseZero works to address one of the biggest energy problems in the world today—inefficient existing buildings." (Photo: Michael Grimm © Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities)
