T HE R OOT S OF NE T Z E R O D E S I GN | 3 1 3 0 | T HE NE W NE T Z E R O

FI GURE 2. 1 1 . With daylight streaming through clerestory windows and a small oor plate, electric lights see minimal use in the main administra-
tion wing. The interior is nished with wood harvested from the property, including the innovative round wood structural system of the rafers.
N
et zero building design has its roots in the principles, strategies, tech-
nology, and experience of the environmental and ecological design
traditions of the last forty years, as well as in renewable design practices
dating back through millennia. These design traditions are varied and
carry many labels: integrated, regenerative, restorative, green, healthy,
renewable energy, living building, sustainable, and biophilic. In this chapter we focus
on aspects of these traditions critical to the design of net zero buildings, beginning
with an exploration of living building design.
The New Building Paradigm
We tend to think of buildings as objects of bricks and mortar created to serve societal
and personal functions and needs. Le Corbusier, an icon of the modernist movement,
even described the home as a machine for living.1 In contrast to this mechanistic
paradigm, a new worldview is emerging. There has been a revolution in scientic,
social, and philosophical thought. Leaders across many disciplines have integrated
chaos and complexity theory, the Gaia hypothesis, and a slew of other principles that
take their inspiration from the complex, integrated processes we see in nature. We are
turning toward a more holistic, whole-systems approach to investigating organisms,
ecosystems, and social systemsand to generating a sustainable future for the planet
and all living systems. This paradigm shif is central and critical to creating a powerful
and inspiring way of thinking about our buildings, communities, and ecosystemsand
our way of being in the world.
From this larger paradigm shif, we can reinterpret our human-generated physical
world of buildings and communities as living systems and ecosystems. Structures and
the people occupying them interact and evolve together to form one unied system
that produces an active, vibrant, and healthy environment. If the structure changes, the
activities inside of it are aected, and vice versa. When we are in a room with glare on
our computer screen or poor acoustics, we are less productive. If we want an engaged
3
|
TheRootsofNetZeroDesign
T HE R OOT S OF NE T Z E R O D E S I GN | 3 9 3 8 | T HE NE W NE T Z E R O
FI GURE 3. 1 0. A view of the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, with the lagoon, part of the water management system, in the foreground.
T
he Adam Joseph Lewis Center at
Oberlin College in Ohio is one of
the rst buildings of any large scale
to be designed following living-building
ideals. Intended to house the environ-
mental studies program, the center was
conceived during a long-term design
process between 1993 and 1998 by a
group of students led by professor David
Orr with a design team led by William
McDonough + Partners. The 13,600 sf
building, completed in January 2000,
serves as a model of sustainability for
the Oberlin community and beyond.
Before the center was built, few
people had imagined a building that
produced more energy than it con-
sumed, increased biological diversity,
and treated waste like food. This
groundbreaking building shifed the
thinking on sustainable design.
The design evolved from three ques-
tions Orr framed: Is it possibleeven
in Ohioto power buildings by current
sunlight? Is it possible to create build-
ings that purify their own wastewater?
Is it possible to build without compro-
mising human and environmental health
somewhere else or at some later time?15
The original goal for the building was to
be a net energy exporter through careful
design, load reduction within the building,
and renewable energy. Reaching the net
FI GURE 3. 7. Oberlin. The intent of the living-building paradigm is to generate buildings
that operate within the cycles and ow of nature and natural processesincluding energy,
materials, waste, water, and air. Lef, the exterior; right, the interior atrium and gathering space.
LIVING-BUILDING INSPIRATION:
OBERLINS ADAM JOSEPH LEWIS CENTER
FI GURE 3. 8. Ken Yeangs EDITT Tower in Singapore shows ecological system integration
through vertical landscaping that connects building occupants to beautiful and vegetated
spaces typically experienced only at street level.
I NT E GR AT E D D E S I GN F U NDA ME NTA L S | 8 5 8 4 | T HE NE W NE T Z E R O
the top of window heights, add light-guiding blinds, install light
shelves (see gure 4.22), raise the roof, add skylights, and/or
use lighter interior surface colors (other strategies are shown
in gure 4.23).
However, all of these options for daylight autonomy and
even interior light conditions may not be adequate on cloudy
days unless lower light levels are tolerated or walls are over-
glazed. Such overglazing would cause excessive light on sunny
days and require diusing material to reduce the daylight.
Windows and skylights can also be a source of glare.
Occupants may like the view and light that come from windows
but may want to avoid the glare, particularly in spaces where
space, as depicted in gure 4.21. Generally, this means that
daylight from sidelighting provides 100 percent of lighting
needs along the perimeter of a room where the windows are
located and into the room for a distance on the oor about 1 to
112 times the height of the top of the window opening, assum-
ing a room with light-colored and more reective surfaces.
Some light penetrates into the building an additional 1 to 112
times the height of the window opening, but not enough for full
daylighting and turning o all electric lights.
Dark surfaces and/or furnishings, carpet, or objects lower
the eectiveness of windows (or skylights) for daylighting. To
get light to penetrate the space more deeply, you can raise
!.5X (!O-!5) !-!.5X (2O-3O)
full uayllgbt artlal uayllgbt
X
FI GURE 4. 21 . Eective daylighting penetration is equal to about
112 times the window height, which means more daylighting as the
window height increases.
either computer-modeling programs or physical models com-
bined with light meters to determine appropriate size, location,
and spacing.12
SIDELIGHTING
In multistory buildings or buildings where roof penetrations are
not desired, sidelighting is always available. Sidelighting simply
involves puting windows in walls. It is the easiest and most
commonly used means of bringing daylight into buildings.
Sidelighting also provides abundant access to views, fresh air,
and ventilation. However, in daylighting terms, windows are
limited by the depth that light penetrates horizontally into a
diering photometrics, so the spacing may be altered due to
the reduction in daylight available, but in general, for areas with
a need for higher light levels (oces, classrooms, gymnasiums),
skylights should be closer together or larger in size. In areas
with less need for light (warehouses, eld houses, and corri-
dors), skylights can be further apart. Sizing the number and
area of glazing for skylights depends on light-level goals bal-
anced with the resulting heat gain. Overall, skylights should be
between 3 and 4 percent of the oor area for typical uses with
typical-height rooms and work surfaces.
Whether you bring light in via skylights or with more com-
plex clerestory, dormer, and monitor designs, it is critical to use
a
d e
c b
f
FI GURE 4. 1 9. Various top-lighting strategies include (a) clere-
story windows, (b) dormers, (c) monitors, (d) at skylights, (e) light
tubes, and (f) angled skylights.
slyllgbt saclng (s)
! (b)-2 (b)
.5 (s) .5 (s)
r
o
o
m

b
e
l
g
b
t

(
b
)
FI GURE 4. 20. Skylights should be spaced on center at one
to two times the height of the space, depending on the size of the
skylight. Diusing material in the skylight itself or below the opening
will even out daylight throughout the space and reduce internal glare.
B
O
S
A
R
G
E

F
A
M
I
L
Y

E
D
U
C
A
T
I
O
N

C
E
N
T
E
R

T HE GE OR GE D. A I K E N CE NT E R | 1 0 5 1 0 4 | T HE NE W NE T Z E R O
ENGAGING OCCUPANTS. It was important to RSENR to design
a building that would bring people together as an active
community for research and learning. The school building
was visualized as a living system with informal hangouts
and gathering, learning, and oce spaces. Circulation
and public spaces were designed to bring the community
together, while allowing classroom learning, research, and
oce functions to serve the occupants as well.
AESTHETICS. The aesthetics of the building embody the mission
and vision of RSENR. The ambition was to reect the natu-
ral world of Vermont and to bring this connection into the
daily life and activities of the students, faculty, and sta. The
goal was to create a daily experience within the building
that was beautiful and inspiring for occupants and visitors.
TEACHING LABORATORY. The building was meant to be a teach-
ing laboratory in itself, engaging students even outside
the RSENR program and immersing them in opportuni-
ties to learn from the built environment as well as the
natural environment.
professor John Todd to transform wastewater into clean
water. With the Eco-Machine as the seed, the design team
based the building design on a model of a living organism
within an ecosystem, with active water collection and moni-
toring, a green roof, and the integration of natural materials.
DEEP ENERGY/NEAR-NET-ZERO RENOVATION. The design team
wanted to prove that it is possible to complete aestheti-
cally pleasing yet economically viable renovations in cold
climates. From the projects inception, the main goal
was to demonstrate that a dark, uninviting, high-energy-
consuming building could be transformed into a vibrant,
engaging, interactive, and inspiring hub of research, learn-
ing, and education. A related goal was to reuse as much of
the existing building as possiblepreserving its embodied
energy and demonstrating that existing buildings can cost-
eectively atain as high an energy performance as a new
building. To date, we have found no other cold-climate
university building, either new or old, with as low an EUI
number for energy conservation.
Green conference room
Local and site
harvested boulders
Entry Solarium
Locally harvested wood wainscot Atrium space with
repurposed stair
High operable R triple
glazed windows for
ventilation
Nanogel diuse skylights
for daylighting Green roof

FI GURE CS2. 5. The building section highlights the natural light
in the two-story solarium space and the Green Conference Room.
the plants, rocks, trees, and nature-based themes throughout
the building and extending into the surrounding site.
Vision and Goals
From the outset, the Aiken Center renovation was envisioned
as a national model for higher education: an example for low-
energy-consuming buildings, the responsible use of natural
resources, the development of a healthy learning and work
environment, and an inspiration for future generations. It was
also intended to expand the University of Vermonts demon-
strated commitment as a leading environmentally focused
university. From these starting points, the main goals for the
project were born.
A LIVING BUILDING. The idea to design the Aiken Center as a
living buildingwas inspired by the Eco-Machine, which
employs a technology developed by recently retired UVM
room with new windows, and an undergraduate lounge. The
main entrance is located on the second oor, along with the
solarium, the Eco-Machine, the deans suite, administration
and faculty oces, and three teaching/research laboratories.
The third oor consists of more faculty oces; informal meet-
ing spaces, including a faculty lounge; graduate workstations;
and the Green Conference Room, which extends over the
second-oor entry, with internal windows into the solarium and
Eco-Machine room.
The central themecelebrating natural systems, ecology,
and biophiliais continued throughout all details in the building.
A recycled-content terrazzo oor in the hallways introduces a
story of earth, water, and air. The rst-oor colors are deep
reds and earth tones to mimic the earths core. Greens on
the second oor are reminiscent of grasses and trees on the
earths surface. Blue on the third oor brings to mind the earths
atmosphere. And nally, a deep, owing, blue connecting all
oors and cascading down the stairs simulates water. Building
users speak of a pleasant warmth and joy when experiencing
FI GURE CS2. 1 . View of south faade from campus green.
NE T Z E R O B E L OW- GR A D E CONS T R U CT I ON | 2 5 9 2 5 8 | T HE NE W NE T Z E R O
products that can be used as well. If there is foam insulation
below grade, make sure it is separated from above-grade foam
with metal ashing, with sealed lap joints, to eliminate a path
for insects migrating from the ground up.
While basement wall conditions are described below, simple
frost walls can be insulated using similar strategies, with the insu-
lation on the exterior or interior of the frost wall. When insulating
on the inside of frost walls, you can use rigid foam insulations,
since they are then protected from pests and contaminants.
Below-Grade Wall
and Slab Assemblies
The following discussion examines the construction of various
typical below-grade assemblies, including their control layers
and other special requirements.
BELOW-GRADE BASEMENT WALL WITH EXTERIOR INSULATION. The
ideal below-grade basement wall with exterior insulation is shown
in gure 9.1a. The soils next to the wall should be sand, gravel, or
stone, which are all permeable materials, allowing groundwater
to ow downward. A drainage mat, or a water-permeable ther-
mal layer, also facilitates the free ow of water down along the
wall and protects the moistureproong applied to the face of the
foundation. The thermal layer should be of pest- and chemical-
resistant insulation, as discussed above. On the interior side, the
stud wall is held away from the concrete to prevent any moisture
in the concrete wall from wicking into the wood.
In this assembly moistureproong provides the water-
and vapor-control layers, while the concrete itself is the
air-control layer.
BASEMENT WALL WITH INTERIOR INSULATION. Given that mineral
wool and rigid berglass exterior insulation are not typically
used in the construction industry, an interior approach to base-
ment insulation is ofen used to protect the insulation layer.
Interior insulation allows the concrete, which is durable and
economical, to be the exterior nish. While the interior of the
basement should be dry and protected from water vapor by
the continuous water- and vapor-control layers, there is always
24 SUD W^LL
^lR Sl^CL, DLl O ^LLOW
lOR R20 RlClD lNSUL^lON
O 2-0 LLLOW CR^DL
CL^SS M^l^CLD
(l^lLRLLSS) CWL
lNLRlOR
(L^SLMLN)
MlNLR^L WOOL OR
RlClD llLLRCL^SS
lNSUL^lON (R20)
lOUND^lON
MOlSURLlROOllNC
CONCRLL
lOUND^lON W^LL
CR^NUL^R
L^CKllLL
FI GURE 9. 1 A. Basement wall below grade with exterior insulation: This wall section shows a concrete basement wall with the thermal- and
air-, moisture-, and vapor-control layers on the outside and nishes on the inside. In this case an insulation that allows water to drain through it
eliminates the need for a separate drainage/protection layer.
FI GURE 9. 1 B. A basement foundation with exterior, pest-resistant,
board insulation. Not visible is the layer of foundation waterproong
applied to the basement walls before the insulation.
step to address this is to assess whether the insulation should
go on the inside or outside of the foundation, which is ofen
determined by the number of places where these thermal
conditions occur and the diculty of solving them. The most
common foundation connections on the interior are piers for
columns, which can be solved relatively easily with a concrete
pier separated from the wall with insulation but tied together
at the footing level (see gure 10.9). If there are lots of dicult
intersections on the outside of the foundation, it is preferable
to insulate on the inside, minimizing thermal bridges. Therefore,
in this book the majority of the details of these intersections
show the insulation on the inside of concrete wall.
The thermal-control layer as the foundation wall transitions
from below grade to above grade is another critical area because
the foundation walls extend below frost (usually 25 in cold
climates) to at least 8 or more above grade, exposing a por-
tion of the wall to the cold. The details in this and the following
chapters illustrate multiple ways to address this transition.
We recommend continuing the above-grade R-40 insula-
tion levels down 2 feet below grade. Beyond that depth,
the thermal layer for a net zero assembly may be reduced
in R-value from R-40 to a minimum of R-20, because of the
insulating eect of the soil. There are two approaches to the
thermal layer in below-grade wall construction: the insulation
can either be on the inside or the outside of the wall. While
extruded polystyrene (XPS) is the most common insulation
material used in this situation, there are some concerns with
using XPS on the exterior of the foundation. Most signicantly,
insects and animals can burrow into the insulation, destroying
the insulation value. XPS is also susceptible to degradation
from contact with petrochemicals, which can exist undetected
as contaminants in the soil. For these reasons, we recommend
using foam insulation products only on the interior side of
the foundation wall. If rigid insulation is used on the outside
of the building, we prefer rigid mineral wool or rigid berglass
designed for below-grade applications, as they are more resis-
tant to chemical and pest degradation. However, under slabs
where we do not suspect oil contamination in the ll, we do
use foam insulation.
When the insulation on the exterior of the foundation wall
extends above grade, it needs to be covered. This is typically a
plastered covering that resembles stucco, but there are panel
The comprehensive overview is accompanied by several
case studies, which include institutional buildings, commercial
projects, and residences. Both new construction and renova-
tion projectseven of historic buildingsare covered in detail.
The book includes hundreds of color images, charts, and
graphs throughout, as well as more than 150 detailed construc-
tion drawings that convey key net zero building techniques.
The New Net Zero is geared toward professionals exploring
net zero design, but also suitable for nonprofessionals seeking
ideas and strategies on net zero options that are beautiful and
renewably powered.
BILL MACLAY, founder and
president of Maclay Architects,
pursued architecture as a career
in order to make the world a bet-
ter place. He has been a lecturer
and educator at colleges, universi-
ties, and conferences focused on
environmental design. He is also
past president of the Vermont
Chapter of the American Institute
of Architects (AIA), and has
served on the board of directors fo the Vermont Businesses
for Social Responsibility and the Yestermorrow Design/Build
School, among other organizations.
The new threshold for green building is not just low energy, its
net zero energy. In The New Net Zero, sustainable architect Bill
Maclay charts the path for designers and builders interested
in exploring green designs new frontier: net zero energy struc-
tures that produce as much energy as they consume, using
only renewable energy sources.
In a nation where buildings account for roughly 40 percent
of the countrys total fossil-fuel consumption, the interest in
net zero building is growing enormouslyamong both design-
ers interested in addressing climate change and consumers
interested in energy eciency and long-term savings.
Maclay, an award-winning net zero designer whose build-
ings have achieved high performance goals at aordable costs,
makes the case for a net zero future; explains net zero building
metrics, integrated design practices, and renewable energy
options; provides practical construction details; and shares
his lessons learned on building successful teams for net zero
construction projects.
Designers and builders will nd a wealth of state-of-the-art
information on such considerations as air, water, and vapor bar-
riers; embodied energy; residential and commercial net zero
standards; monitoring and commissioning; insulation options;
materials; costs; and more.Maclay and his team help readers
weigh options, and include information on making buildings net
zero ready when plans or budgets call for a multiyear, phased-
in approach.
This book offers a vision
of how net zero design can make
our immediate surroundings fossil-fuel free
Publication date: June 10, 2014
media.chelseagreen.com/the-new-net-zero

For media inquiries, contact Shay Totten,
stotten@chelseagreen.com, (802) 295-6300 x 125
For retail orders, contact your Chelsea Green sales
representative or Chelsea Green Publishing,
jslayton@chelseagreen.com, (800) 639-4099 x 113
$90.00 USD ISBN 9781603584487
Hardcover 10 10 560 pages
Full-color throughout charts and graphs detailed illustrations photographs
Chelsea Green Publishing
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
802-295-6300