Net-Zero Building Fundamentals

Made for anyone interested in decarbonisation, high performance and climate resilient buildings, this self-paced course provides students, architects, engineers, and building professionals the technical fundamentals of net-zero design—passive comfort, energy efficiency, resilience, and affordability. Net-zero buildings are no longer a niche aspiration. Decarbonisation, digitisation, and deglobalisation are driving the infrastructure revolution across the world; the future is low-carbon, net-zero buildings that are super-efficient and self-sufficient in terms of their energy and water use. Offered by Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) in partnership with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), the course covers a large spectrum of building performance concerns, including thermal comfort and indoor air quality, HVAC right-sizing and low-energy cooling systems, water sufficiency and net-zero water cycles, and cost estimation for financial feasibility across 13 modules. You will also be introduced to Excel-based tools that you can integrate directly into your workflow, as well as an introduction to an energy simulation software. You should enrol, if you are: • A student of architecture, civil engineering, or environmental design, preparing for a profession increasingly shaped by net-zero mandates • An early-career professional looking to develop a competitive edge in high performance building design • A practising architect, civil engineer, building professional or consultant looking to build technical depth in sustainable design • A real estate developer, project manager, or leader of a construction firm working with high-performance building mandates, looking to upskill their teams ahead of tightening regulatory requirements Why you should enrol: This course covers the foundational competencies that can help you adapt to evolving expectations from clients and regulators: passive design, envelope performance, embodied carbon, water sufficiency, and more. By the end of this course, you will: • Know how to apply building science fundamentals to make evidence-based design decisions across Indian climate zones • Develop the skills to evaluate the financial and carbon performance of design choices • Understand how to use structured load calculation and right-sizing methods to size and specify building systems • Gain a set of practical simulation and calculation tools to contribute credibly in multidisciplinary project teams