Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities

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ABOUT

The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities aims to transform the building industry through a commitment to design-centric strategy that directly links research outcomes to the development of new processes, systems, and products.

By strongly emphasizing innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration, the Center will work to promote holistic change within the built environment, namely the creation and continued improvement of sustainable, high performance buildings and cities.

The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities is supported by the Evergrande Group in China.

The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC) will retrofit its headquarters, a pre-1940s house in Cambridge, MA, into an ultra-efficient, healthy, positive energy structure. Targeting the most rigorous efficiency standards ever achieved by a building retrofit, HouseZero has the following performance goals:

1. Almost zero energy required for heating and cooling

2. 100% natural ventilation

3. 100% daylight autonomy

4. Zero carbon emissions, including embodied energy in materials

HouseZero will model a healthy indoor environment with natural light, pleasing acoustics, and zero off gassing materials. Designed to be durable, functional, flexible, comfortable, and connected to its natural environment, the house will promote well-being and worker productivity.