The ZEB Laboratory (zeblab.no/) is a laboratory for zero-emission buildings (ZEB) – an arena where new and innovative materials and solutions are developed, investigated, tested and demonstrated in mutual interaction with people. The ZEB Laboratory will be a model project for what a building can achieve in terms of low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The building satisfies requirements for ZEB-COM buildings, which means that CO₂ emissions from the embodied materials, construction process and operations will be compensated by energy production on the building with its 60 years lifetime. This website will provide a comprehensive description of all the innovations, solutions, and data collected which make the ZEB Laboratory stand out as one of the world's most sustainable buildings, with documented climate accounts that show total CO₂ emissions with corresponding compensation of energy production.
The ZEB Laboratory with work towards the UN's sustainable development goals 7) Affordable and clean energy for all, 11) Sustainable cities and communities, 13) Climate action, and 17) Partnerships for the goals. We need a zero-emission laboratory to slow down climate change by reducing GHG emissions through sustainable building- and area development, to improve energy efficiency in buildings and release energy for other uses, and to climate adapt buildings and infrastructure. Simultaneously, we need to ensure a well-built environment with good buildings and indoor climate for the population.
The first eight innovations as a result of the work with and within the ZEB Laboratory highlight the vast possibilities made available with such a zero-emission building:
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Innovation
Parts of the ZEB methodology - Illustration: R. Eik
Project delivery method: The development of buildings which do not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions during construction, operation and demolition requires new ways of thinking, also during the building process. It requires the development of new concepts and solutions, in addition to new knowledge about processes and strategies for the realization of zero-emission buildings.
Integrated Project Delivery: Implementation models with partnering brings central actors together at commencement such that they can develop the project conjointly. In the ZEB Laboratory, a ZEB methodology has been developed and integrated with the organizational element used in the project - Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) - with the collocation of the project team. The construction client (SINTEF/NTNU) and the team met once a week to develop the project both organizationally and academically. The actors and the construction client set common goals, evaluated processes and solved problems conjointly.
NTNU's electricity / heating ring - Photo: T. Kvande
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Energy demand: The built environment in a zero-emission society requires flexible energy solutions. FME ZEN's vision is "sustainable areas with zero emissions of greenhouse gasses". Tools must be developed to optimize local energy systems and their interaction with the broader systems to achieve this vision.
Gløshaugen as a battery: Gløshaugen campus, NTNU (Trondheim, Norway), has its own local energy system with its own heating ring and power concession. The ZEB Laboratory, with solar power production on the roof and all façades, does not have its own battery for storing electricity, but is connected to Gløshaugen's electricity ring and uses it as a battery.
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The PCM tank - Photo: J. Seehusen
Heating demand: Solar- and wind power are both unpredictable energy sources which cannot be turned on and off by request. There is a great need for solutions that can help reduce power peaks for heating, especially in the morning, by storing heat from the day before.
Latent heat storage: An innovative heat storage, a thermal battery, with a phase-changing material (PCM) of bio-wax has been developed and integrated with the ZEB Laboratory. The wax melts or solidified within the span between 35 and 40°C, allowing the ZEB Laboratory to get space heating with radiators with a flow temperature of 40°C and return temperature of 35°C. The thermal battery is based on a 5 m³ plate heat exchanger, with a heat storage capacity of 200 kWh, and a compact and efficient system giving peak shaving effects for heating requests.
Construction around the Alma Smart Tank - Photo: T.Kvande
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Climate change adaption: Climate change results in an increase in precipitation, often in the form of torrential rain. In urban areas, this will put increased pressure on stormwater systems. Stormwater management around the ZEB Laboratory must take into account the limited capacity of the pipe network in the area and the poor infiltration capacity of the surrounding ground. Stormwater detention must thus be carried out locally for as long as possible before being let into the pipe network in a controlled manner.
Stormwater management: The ZEB Laboratory has a combination of many drainage solutions, where the run-off from the various solutions is collected in a large reservoir that controls joint discharge to the pipe network. The stormwater detention basin is the newly developed Alma Smart Tank. The outlet is designed so that parts of the surface water are retained and can be reused as a resource. Measuring instruments are installed to monitor the run-off from each of the stormwater solutions, allowing the comparison, study and development of different combinations of solutions with different run-off profiles.
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Roof construction
Low-emission materials: The focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions often means that extensive use of wood as a material is beneficial. This contributes to more often considering wood as a supporting structure in larger buildings. Efficient and cost-optimal construction techniques are in demand.
Compact wooden roof: In the ZEB laboratory, a new compact roof structure has been developed, with wooden support and a smart vapour barrier. The roof is constructed in such a way that the risk of moisture is considered to be low, with measurement instruments installed to monitor this. This construction method provides a reduction in the height of the building, reduced material use, an efficient construction process and a financial gain, and can provide robust moisture protection when properly designed and built.
Solar panels making up most of the east façade and upper parts of the north façade
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Local green energy production: The ZEB Laboratory showcases both how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in construction, but also how to adapt future buildings to a changing climate. Production of renewable energy in buildings is often based on solar cells. In order to reduce material use, it is important that the solar cells also form the cladding and thatching of the building. The industry is asking for guidelines and principles for optimal climate-adapted building technology solutions for building-integrated solar roofs (BIPV).
Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels: The ZEB laboratory is oriented directly to the south with an approx. 20 m long and 30° pitched roof, fully covered in BIPV panels. Highly efficient rainproof and ventilated solar cells replace traditional roofing. The roof is a dense and smooth surface which, during heavy downpours, will carry large amounts of water at high speed down towards the eaves. In order to optimize the solar cell area and to ensure that the architectural expression is preserved, a solution with an internal gutter is developed. An experimental method was developed that takes future climate changes into account when testing the roof gutter.
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Ventilation diagram for the different zones/floors of the ZEB Laboratory
Sustainable ventilation methods: Energy-efficient air conditioning is important for today's and future buildings. Ventilation methods that are energy-efficient, have a low environmental impact from material use, are flexible and adaptable to different uses, and that can interact with the user's needs are in demand. The ventilation must interoperate with the heating and cooling systems to achieve a good indoor climate.
Three ventilation solutions: In the ZEB laboratory, a solution is developed allowing the building to be ventilated 1) by means of natural driving forces – natural ventilation, 2) mechanically – balanced ventilation, or 3) by a combination of the two – hybrid ventilation. The solution is developed as a means to research different ventilation principles. Different ways of supplying air to the areas will also be tested, with each floor having its own solution: On the ground floor, air is supplied via valves in the floor, on the 1st floor via permeable plates in the ceiling, on the 2nd floor via slits in the plates in the ceiling and on the 3rd floor via more traditional displacement ventilation.
Floor layers - Photo: T. Kvande
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Sustainable sound-proofing: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions in buildings, a support structure made of wood is often advantageous. But there is a need for better project planning, solutions and more accessible knowledge about sound penetration in wooden constructions, which is less developed compared to other, heavy construction solutions.
Acoustic floor in solid wood: In the ZEB laboratory, an acoustic floor made of solid wood has been developed without the addition of concrete. The floor consists of pressure-resistant mineral wool, two layers of chipboard and floor covering over the solid wood deck.
