Zero Energy Development

Reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions is an indispensable part of any sustainability strategy. The City of Los Angeles is doing its part by trying to obtain 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by this year (looks like it won't happen). There is an interesting example of a zero energy development in London, called BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development). This is what inhabitat had to say:

"The BedZED Development design meets very high environmental standards, with a strong emphasis on roof gardens, sunlight, solar energy, reduction of energy consumption, and waste water recycling. In terms of materials, BedZED is built from natural, recycled, or reclaimed materials. All the wood used is approved by the Forest Stewardship Council or comparable internationally recognized environmental organizations.

Using passive solar techniques, houses arranged in south facing terraces to maximize heat gain from the sun. Each terrace is backed by north facing offices, where minimal solar gain reduces the tendency to overheat and the need for energy-hungry air conditioning. A centralized heat and power plant (CHP) provides hot water, which is distributed around the site via a district heating system of super-insulated pipes. Should residents or workers require a heating boost, each home or office has a domestic hot water tank that doubles as a radiator. The CHP plant at BedZED is powered by off-cuts from tree surgery waste that would otherwise go to landfill.

One of BedZED’s unique community considerations is its take on transportation. The entire development has been designed to encourage alternatives to car use. A green transport plan promotes walking, cycling, and use of public transport. A car pool for residents has been established, and all these initiatives have helped to provide a strategic and integrated approach to transport issues. BedZED’s target is a 50% reduction in fossil-fuel consumption by private car use over the next 10 years compared with a conventional development. BedZED was the first low-car development in the UK to incorporate a car club, “ZEDcars.” A “pedestrian first” policy with good lighting, drop curbs for prams (strollers) and wheelchairs, and a road layout that keeps vehicles to walking speed.

Additionally, designers took great consideration of the development’s embodied energy, a measure of the energy required to manufacture a product. To reduce the embodied energy of BedZED, construction materials were selected for their low-embodied energy and sourced within a 35-mile radius of the site when possible. The energy expended in transporting materials to the site was therefore minimized."

Los Angeles could certainly do more to integrate some of these principles into its design standards and development requirements. Carbon neutral housing addresses the issues of pollution and global warming but we must also ensure that renewable energy is sourced the right way. Covering sensitive habitat in the mojave desert seems to be trading one problem (i.e. coal fired power plants) for another. Also, it's hard to imagine that "sustainable" housing in LA wouldn't also incorporate water harvesting/reuse/reduction features as well, for sustainability is contextually sensitive and always about much more than just energy.

What do you think "sustainable" housing in Los Angeles ought to look like? What features should be included in these houses? How do we ensure that top-notch sustainable living is not just a luxury for the the well-off? USGBC standards got rid of the worst of current building practice but seem to have gotten rid of not much more than the low hanging fruit, while BedZED seems to have taken things a bit further. Given the previous post about biomimicry, how far is far enough? How do you expect buildings to perform environmentally/socially over the next 50 years?