We’re not in the habit of recommending books in these pages, but we could not ignore two recent noteworthy publications. (Both are available on amazon.com.)
Net Zero Energy Design: A Guide for Commercial Architecture is an in-depth, 441-page exploration into the practical problems of designing and building net-zero buildings. The author, architect Tom Hootman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is Director of Sustainability at RNL, the Denver-based design firm.
He was a key contributor to the Building Team that designed the Research Support Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy lab in Golden, Colo. It was the first net-zero building in the U.S. to demonstrate both environmental and economic feasibility.
If your firm is contemplating taking on a net-zero energy project, you would be remiss if you ignored this book, the first essential manual in the field.
See my interview with Hootman on how NZE buildings are creating a new role for architects, at /new-leadership-role-architects-net-zero-design.
Transformational Thought: Radical Ideas to Remake the Built Environment is a series of 14 essays by Jason F. McLennan, LEED Fellow, founder of the Living Building Challenge and a primal force in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Cascadia Green Building Council. He was named to Building Design+Construction’s “40 under 40” list in 2010 as a 32-year-old principal at BNIM.
McLellan roams far and wide in his essays, from the role of women in a “restorative future,” to the urban agriculture revolution, to a discussion challenging the wisdom of height and density in urban structures.
It is not always easy to agree with McLellan, and his provocative argumentation will keep you awake at night, thinking. +
Related Stories
Energy Efficiency | Apr 23, 2018
New toolkit offers local governments energy-saving strategies for buildings
Provides estimates on savings for various policies.
Green | Apr 13, 2018
evolv1 earns Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building-Design certification
The multi-tenant commercial office building is currently under construction.
Sustainability | Apr 10, 2018
Thermal comfort, big impact
CallisonRTKL’s Pablo La Roche explains how outdoor thermal comfort could mitigate the effects of climate change.
Sustainability | Apr 9, 2018
Planning for 100: Looking beyond the horizon of zero-net-energy buildings
Imagine a future where buildings and infrastructure are 100% utilized and 100% responsive.
Energy Efficiency | Apr 4, 2018
A new energy metric for building design and operations
A building with a higher occupant density may have a higher energy use, but expend less energy per person.
K-12 Schools | Jan 24, 2018
Hawaii’s first net-zero public school
G70 is the architect, planner, and civil engineer of record for the project.
Energy | Jan 12, 2018
Putting wastewater to work: America’s next great energy source
As much as 40 to 50% of a building’s energy literally goes down the drain every day.
Energy | Jan 11, 2018
Harvesting energy and profits: A new approach to MEP cost analysis
In the course of providing cost estimating services, educating the client on making prudent choices is a high priority.
Energy Efficiency | Dec 19, 2017
New building energy quotient portal gives quick analysis on energy performance
ASHRAE tool provides more automated approach to receive Building EQ Performance Score.
K-12 Schools | Oct 28, 2017
A new elementary school in Cambridge, Mass., aims at being a pilot for that city’s NZE commitment
The building’s programming will provide more access to the community at large.
