Architecture at Zero

Presented by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and AIA San Francisco, Architecture at Zero is an international architectural design competition open to students and professionals worldwide. Zero net energy (ZNE) design competitions are intended to encourage architecture, engineering, and planning firms (and students in those fields) to create ZNE developments and buildings. The goal of the competitions is to promote and disseminate information on ZNE best practices in the building and development communities.

The 2012 Design Challenge

The 2012 design challenge was a zero net energy (ZNE) student housing or administrative office building design for the University of California, Merced. As part of the challenge, entrants will also be asked to create a diagrammatic district energy plan for the Bellevue Gateway development. The buildings will be part of the Bellevue Gateway, a new mixed-use development located on the campus that will act as both the primary entrance to the University and as a bustling center of activity with sports facilities, dining, residential spaces, administration, and parking. Learn more.

Jury

Alison Kwok, professor, University of Oregon
Ed Mazria, founder, Architecture 2030
Stephen Selkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Susan Szenasy, editor in chief, Metropolis magazine

Winners

View all Architecture at Zero 2012 entries and winners at www.architectureatzero.com.

The 2011 Design Challenge: Emeryville

The design site for Architecture At Zero 2011 was an industrial urban infill site in Emeryville, California. The design challenge was to create a mixed-use building or set of buildings that included 240 residential housing units, one 1200 square foot retail space and a 4000 square foot new public library branch. As part of the competition, all building designs were required to be grid-tied and reasonably demonstrate the competition’s criteria for zero net energy; that the energy use of the building(s) and its occupants be less than or equal to the energy produced by on-site renewable generation, as measured over a calendar year.

The competitors also met specific program criteria chosen from the City of Emeryville’s general and specific area plans, including open space requirements for the site, and the extension of the street grid into the site.

Jury

Bob Berkebile, FAIA, BNIM Architects
Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, Brooks + Scarpa Architecture
Stephen Selkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Susan Szenasy, editor in chief, Metropolis magazine
Allison Williams, FAIA, Perkins + Will

2011 Winners

Towards Net Zero Energy
Chris Parlette, Berkeley, CA

Chimera
Tom Tang, Yijie Dang, New York, NY

Phototactic – Ville
Jihyoon Yoon, Harvard University

Ripple Effect
Curtis Ryan, Sara Maas, Kyle Blomquist, Megan Gelazus, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Battery Park from Zero to Positive
HOK San Francisco