The ‘Z-Free’ Home: A Circular Thinking and Eco-Cycle Design Practice

Marwa Dabaieh (), Ilia Iarkov and Kasper Rodil
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Marwa Dabaieh: Department of Urban Studies, Malmo University, 211 19 Malmo, Sweden
Ilia Iarkov: Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Kasper Rodil: Department of Architecture and Media Technology, Aalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: In recent years, the need for affordable sustainable housing has increased. At the same time, there has been a gradual rising interest in compact living. With the mounting impacts of climate change, a new way of thinking is needed to develop more resilient and climate responsive ways of living that are compact, affordable, and climate-conscious. In response to this need, the idea of a ‘Z-Free Home’ was born. The ‘Z-Free Home’ is a tiny mobile house equipped with essential passive and eco-cycle systems that achieves nine zero targets. The main design and construction concept is based on circular design and a return to nature life cycle principles. In this paper, the architectural design concept, building energy modelling, and simulation for the Z-Free Home design proposal is discussed. This paper describes the concept design and design development phases together with building modelling and simulation. A focus was made on the use of virtual reality in design development assessment as a new method for evaluating passive and eco-cycle systems. The results show that it’s possible to achieve nine different zero goals while the analysis illustrates the challenges in achieving them. The paper also described the next steps planned for the proof of concept, i.e., the 1:1 house model. The project is ongoing, and it aims at a full-scale physical prototype as a proof of concept for the zero targets. The ‘Z-Free Home’ is designed for the cold Swedish climate but could be more widely applicable in other mild climates as well as hot climates.

Keywords: Z-Free Home; eco-cycle; passive design; VR; nature-based design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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