Toward cero balance construction

Table of Contents
Abstract 1

Table of Contents 2

1.0 Chapter 1: Introduction 4
1.1 Thesis 6
1.2 Research Methodology 6
1.3 Research Thesis Problems 8
1.4 Research Design: Chapter Summaries 9
Chapter 1: Introduction 9
Chapter 2: Literature Review 9
Chapter 3: Secondary Research Findings: Knowledge Gained 9
Chapter 4:Primary Research 9
Chapter 5: Primary Research Results andConclusions 10
Chapter 6: Conclusions and Reccommendations 10
References 10
Appendices 10

2.0 Chapter 2: Literature Review Part One 11
2.1 Methodology: 11
2.2 Current Overall Research 12
2.3 Building Technology 15
2.4 Current Technology Development and Application 18
2.5 Materials and Properties: Causes of Energy and Carbon Waste 20
2.6 Current Initiatives 21
3.0 Chapter 3: LiteratureReview Part Two 27
3.1 Possibilities for Sustainable Homes 27
3.2 Rating the Sustainability of Materials 29
Design 30
Roofing 32
Embodied Energy of Materials: 33
Finishing Products 33
Utilities 34
Additional Items 34
3.3 Conclusions from This Research 35
3.4 The Impact of Green Construction 36

4.0 Chapter 4: Primary Research 38
4.1 Research Design 38
4.2 Methodology 38

5.0 Chapter 5:Primary Research Results and Conclusions 40

6.0 Chapter 6: Conclusions and Reccommendations 46
6.1 Conclusions about this Survey 46
6.2 Flaws in the Research 47
6.3 Conclusions from these Responses 48
6.4 Project Analysis 50
6.5 Reflections and Recommendations 52

7.0 Appendix A 54

8.0 Works Cited and References 55


1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Anyone who does not know that wehave energy consumption problems, emissions problems which cause various environmental problems has been asleep for the last couple of decades or lost in a wilderness. What is new is that we also have solutions which are based upon new technology, and not on abstinence. Now I do not intend to promote wastefulness, and it is very possible that some problems will only be resolved by changing humanbehaviour. However, in the construction industry, there is definitely new technology which can increase the efficiency of the energy we use, thereby reducing energy needs.

In an ideal world, all the heat we pay for would stay within the walls of our homes, appliances would use only the power necessary to operate with no lost energy (100% energy efficiency) and the materials from which our homeswere constructed would be made from renewable resources and would represent no contribution to the carbon released into our atmosphere. These are all solutions involving new technology and not abstinence.

It is my belief that solutions involving a great deal of discomfort or sacrifice on the part of the users will not work, because people will never be convinced in time that it is necessary. Inaddition, there are so many places where people are simply doing all they can to survive now, and cannot even think about preserving the planet. As Maslowe said, there are levels of needs, and those people at the very bottom have no capacity to worry about anything beyond the bare necessities. (Maslowe, A.H., 1943)The people in the middle, our target group who will buy the homes of the future,worry about day to day necessities, but they also look to the future. Therefore, technological solutions are going to be necessary, because we cannot depend entirely upon behavioural change.

We have the technology to build homes with zero carbon balance construction and to enable zero balance maintenance. This project even shows that these methods could be applied to multiple family dwellingsThen the primary research via surveys shows that there is, indeed, the political will among the target group, middle income level people, who will be the majority of home buyers. However, the primary research also shows that the majority of people are not really aware of the gravity of the problem and that there is still an attitude that we have plenty of time and that somebody else will do...