The ZERO Code: Crucial Carbon-Busting Tool for Cities

April 27, 2018 | Cities, Climate Innovation Laboratory Cities, Consumption Reduction, Energy Efficiency
by Pete Plastrik

Whatever cities do to curb the GHG emissions within their boundaries, it won't be enough if they don't ensure that all new buildings constructed during the next decades are decarbonized. In many cities, new construction to accommodate growing populations is a major potential source of emissions. For instance, fast growing Vancouver projects that in 2050, 40% of all floor space in the city will be in buildings built since 2020. In response, the city adopted a plan that requires all new buildings in the city to produce no GHG emissions at all.

To go beyond a city-by-city response to the new building challenge, Architecture 2030 has published a ZERO Code for new building construction, which integrates cost-effective energy efficiency standards with on-site and/or off-site renewable energy resulting in Zero-Net-Carbon (ZNC) buildings.

"The ZERO Code is a national and international building energy standard for new building construction that integrates cost-effective energy efficiency standards with on-site and/or off-site renewable energy resulting in zero-net-carbon buildings." --Architecture 2030

This is a crucial new tool, as nations and cities worldwide face the largest urban growth in history. "While there have been worldwide improvements in building sector energy efficiency, as well as growth in renewable energy generating capacity," Architecture 2030 noted, "these have not been nearly enough to offset the increase in emissions from new construction. As a result, building sector CO2 emissions have continued to rise by nearly 1% per year since 2010."