An Integrated Design Process in Practice: A Nearly Zero Energy Building at the University of Brasília - Brazil

This study aims to present the design experience of LabZERO|UnB, an NZEB building awarded in a public call, that will be built on the University of Brasília campus. The method consisted of defining the design team and the Integrated Design Process (IDP), establishing assumptions and design guidelines, schematic design, initial computer simulations, design development, new simulations, and final calculations for the synthesis of energy performance. As a result, IDP proved to be efficient and underlined the possibility of translating research experiences into practice. The barriers and potentialities related to the coordination of a multidisciplinary team stand out, likewise the organization, planning, and achievement of goals. In the design concept of the 200m2 building, the basic assumption was the adequacy of the architecture to favor the use of passive resources, respecting the local climate, classified as high-altitude tropical climate. Moreover, bioclimatic strategies were used, such as the North/South orientation of main façades, narrow floor plan, limited window-wall ratio, and adequate construction materials, to optimize energy consumption. As a result, the distributed generation of electricity was estimated at 58.29 kWh/m2. a year and the final electricity demand was 34.29 kWh/m2. year. Hence, this process indicates the real possibility of reaching the zero energy balance.