Advancing Zero Energy Buildings

Pathways to Sustainable Development and Global Impact

Authors

Benjamin Duraković

• ISBN: 9783032166005
• Published: 28 January 2026
• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Publisher: Springer Cham

Description

Advancing Zero Energy Buildings: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Global Impact provides a comprehensive exploration of Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) as a key strategy for achieving sustainable development and global energy goals. The book offers practical insights into performance metrics, smart management systems, policy frameworks, and international innovations that are driving the transition toward renewable energy and energy-efficient built environments.

It explains the growing importance of ZEBs in reducing operational energy use while improving occupant comfort and overall building performance. The book places these developments in the wider context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, national climate commitments, evolving building codes, and regional regulatory frameworks.

Readers are introduced to energy-efficient building strategies such as passive design, smart materials, renewable integration, and Building Management Systems (BMS), with case studies from around the world. The book also expands the discussion from individual buildings to Zero Energy Communities, highlighting integrated urban systems, district energy planning, and future challenges such as digitalization, life-cycle assessment, and climate resilience.

Key Features

• Explores Zero Energy Buildings as a pathway to sustainable development and global energy goals
• Provides practical guidance on energy-efficient infrastructure and building strategies
• Examines policy frameworks, building codes, and energy standards across regions
• Highlights the role of Building Management Systems in real-time monitoring and optimization
• Includes global case studies on Zero Energy Building projects and communities
• Identifies emerging trends such as digitalization, life-cycle assessment, and resilience to climate extremes

Coverage

• Importance of Zero Energy Buildings in sustainable development
• Building codes and energy standards for zero energy pathways
• Advances in energy-efficient building strategies
• Building Management Systems
• Evolving Zero Energy Building practices and their global sustainability role
• Lessons learned from ZEB projects worldwide
• From Zero Energy Buildings to Zero Energy Communities
• Shaping the future of Zero Energy Buildings

About the Authors

Benjamin Duraković is an associate professor at the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He specializes in sustainable building technologies, with a particular focus on energy efficiency in buildings. He has authored and edited academic books, book chapters, and numerous research articles in leading journals on energy efficiency and sustainable building technologies. His work includes research on thermal energy storage, PCM-enhanced envelope systems, low-energy building strategies, peak demand reduction, and building energy responsiveness.

Table of Contents

• Importance of Zero Energy Buildings in Sustainable Development
• Building Codes and Energy Standards: Pathways Toward Zero Energy Buildings
• Advances in Energy-Efficient Building Strategies
• Building Management Systems
• Evolving Zero Energy Building Practices and Their Role in Global Sustainability
• Lesson Learned from ZEB Projects Worldwide
• From Zero-Energy Buildings to Zero Energy Communities
• Shaping the Future of Zero Energy Buildings

Why buy this book?

This book is a strong addition for professionals, researchers, academic libraries, and policy specialists working in sustainable architecture, renewable energy, and green building technologies. It combines strategic context with practical applications, offering a global view of Zero Energy Buildings and their role in the future of sustainable urban development. Its focus on performance, regulation, technology integration, and real-world case studies makes it especially valuable for institutions and professionals following the fast-changing built-environment sector.

Frequently Asked Questions — Advancing Zero Energy Buildings: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Global Impact Springer | Green Energy and Technology Series | Benjamin Duraković | 2026

Q1: What is a Zero Energy Building and why are they becoming a regulatory requirement in many countries?

A Zero Energy Building (ZEB) is a building that produces as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis, typically through a combination of passive design strategies, high-performance envelope systems, and on-site renewable energy generation. The concept has moved from voluntary best practice to regulatory requirement in numerous jurisdictions — the EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive mandates near-zero energy standards for new buildings, and similar frameworks exist in the US, Japan, Australia, and parts of the Middle East. Advancing Zero Energy Buildings by Dr. Benjamin Duraković (Springer, 2026), part of the respected Green Energy and Technology series, provides a systematic examination of how building codes and energy standards across different regions are driving this transition, and what practitioners need to know to design and deliver compliant buildings.

Q2: What design strategies are used to achieve zero energy performance in buildings?

Zero energy performance is achieved through a layered approach that begins with passive design — orientation, form, thermal mass, and natural ventilation — before any active systems are introduced. This reduces the energy load that renewables must cover. The next layer involves high-performance envelope components: advanced insulation systems, low-emissivity glazing, phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal storage, and airtight construction with heat recovery ventilation. Finally, on-site generation — primarily photovoltaics — covers remaining energy demand. Chapter 3 of Advancing Zero Energy Buildings provides a current overview of advances in each of these strategies, including smart materials and dynamic façade systems that are transforming what is achievable in both new construction and retrofit projects.

Q3: How do Building Management Systems (BMS) contribute to zero energy performance?

A building can be designed to zero energy standards and still fail to perform as intended if its systems are not properly controlled and optimised in operation. Building Management Systems address this gap by providing real-time monitoring of energy flows, adaptive control of HVAC, lighting, and shading systems, predictive maintenance alerts, and performance transparency for occupants and facility managers. As buildings become more complex — integrating solar PV, battery storage, EV charging, and grid interaction — the BMS becomes the central nervous system that enables actual zero energy performance rather than just designed performance. Chapter 4 of Advancing Zero Energy Buildings examines the current state of BMS technology and its role as a critical enabler for ZEBs at building and community scale.

Q4: What can we learn from Zero Energy Building projects that have already been built around the world?

The gap between ZEB theory and ZEB practice is significant, and the most valuable lessons come from buildings that have been monitored in operation over time. Common findings include the performance gap — where actual energy use exceeds design predictions — driven by occupant behaviour, commissioning deficiencies, and control system failures. Successful projects share common characteristics: integrated design processes from early concept, robust commissioning protocols, user engagement strategies, and supportive governance and financing models. Chapter 6 of Advancing Zero Energy Buildings presents lessons learned from ZEB projects across different climates and building types worldwide, providing architects, engineers, and developers with the evidence base needed to avoid known pitfalls and replicate demonstrated successes.

Q5: What is the difference between a Zero Energy Building and a Zero Energy Community, and why does it matter?

A Zero Energy Building balances its own energy production and consumption at the individual building scale. A Zero Energy Community (ZEC) extends this logic to a group of buildings — a neighbourhood, campus, or district — that collectively achieve energy balance through shared generation, storage, and grid interaction. The community scale enables efficiencies that are impossible at the individual building level: diversity of energy loads across building types reduces peak demand, district thermal networks can share waste heat, and community-scale storage smooths renewable intermittency. Chapter 7 of Advancing Zero Energy Buildings addresses the transition from ZEBs to ZECs, situating the discussion within district energy planning, smart grid deployment, and urban climate commitments — an increasingly important framework as cities set net-zero targets that require systemic rather than building-by-building solutions.

Q6: How do Zero Energy Buildings relate to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and national climate commitments?

Buildings account for roughly 30% of global final energy consumption and a similar share of CO₂ emissions — making the built environment one of the most significant levers available for meeting national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. Zero Energy Buildings directly address SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 13 (climate action). Chapter 1 of Advancing Zero Energy Buildings examines this strategic alignment in detail, showing how ZEBs function not just as engineering solutions but as policy instruments that connect building-level decisions to national decarbonisation trajectories and international sustainability frameworks.

Q7: Where can I buy Advancing Zero Energy Buildings?

The book is available at CLNZ Books — clnzbooks.com/products/advancing-zero-energy-buildings — for USD $288, with free worldwide shipping included in the price via DHL, UPS, FedEx, or NZ Post. Published by Springer in 2026 as part of the Green Energy and Technology series, it is written by Dr. Benjamin Duraković, Associate Professor at the International University of Sarajevo and a leading researcher in sustainable building technologies.

Keywords

Zero Energy Buildings, sustainable development, renewable energy, sustainable construction practices, energy-efficient building technologies, Building Management Systems, green buildings, sustainable architecture, building materials, climate resilience

Target Audience

architects, engineers, sustainability professionals, researchers, academic libraries, urban planners, policy makers, energy consultants, construction professionals, postgraduate students

Genre

Energy, Sustainability, Green Building, Architecture, Engineering, Environmental Studies

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