2023 Summer Issue of Urban Land - 86

Achieving
Net Zero
5 Sustainable Design
Elements for Old and New
Buildings
MANSOOR KAZEROUNI
As the world's cities continue to
emerge from the shadow of the
global coronavirus pandemic and
renew their focus on growth and
prosperity, there is inarguably a
greater understanding than ever
among civic leaders that to secure
true prosperity, they must pursue
sustainability in all areas within their
realm of responsibility with a deep,
holistically structured, and unwavering
commitment. Nowhere is this
more true than in the urban built
environment.
Cities that take a holistic approach
If ambitious net zero
carbon objectives are
to be achieved around
the globe, planners,
designers, and
builders need to take
a whole-city approach
to sustainability,
including infrastructure
and transit-oriented
development. "
to meeting their commitment to sustainability
do so by creating affordable
housing, building net zero infrastructure
and transport, and reducing
air pollution, according to the most
recent edition of the Arcadis Sustainable
Cities Index report. They do this
with the understanding that cities are
not only the places where the most
change is needed, but also where the
most change is possible.
If ambitious net zero carbon
objectives are to be achieved in
urban centers around the globe,
planners, designers, and builders
need to take a whole-city approach
to sustainability, including infrastructure
and transit-oriented development.
Together, these elements not
only address sustainability planning
needs, but also provide a crucial
aspect in support of equity and
social justice at a community level.
Reducing energy consumption
and using low-carbon materials
should be a priority for cities everywhere-including
in the infrastructure
realm, where the circular use of
materials and retrofit of aging infrastructure
can provide great value.
86
URBAN LAND SUMMER 2023
In fact, in this area, municipalities
and regulatory authorities can play
a key leadership role in mitigating
carbon impact in the building sector
by implementing effective life-cycle
asset management and maintenance
programs that are transferable to
sectors beyond infrastructure.
Responsive Design
Planners and architects must give
equal consideration to climateresponsive
design in new buildings
and review of the existing
building stock, which makes up the
greater part of cities the world over.
One useful tool for this purpose is
ClimateScout, a free, open-source,
and globally available software application
developed by Arcadis to help
architects identify design strategies
that address climate conditions at a
contextual building scale.
Universally, five top elements come
into play in ensuring that builings are
either built or upgraded to desired
sustainability goals:
Careful site selection;
Tight controls on methods of construction;
Design
and deployment of highperforming
building envelopes;
Employment of passive design
principles; and
Installation of clean energy and
high-performance heating and cooling
mechanical systems.
Careful Site Selection
The first element is careful site
selection, particularly with a view
to making allowance for transitsupportive
infill sites. In fact, one of
the biggest misconceptions in urban
planning and architectural design cir
2023 Summer Issue of Urban Land

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