**4. Future-proof design**

A future-proof design of buildings takes the long-term goals and developments into account at the time of designing. It is not only considered what can be implemented today, but what is to be added and retrofitted in future to complete the building system in order to achieve the intended performance. Future-proof design can consider future energy retrofit measures towards the projected zero-emission performance, but also other objectives, such as barrier-free design or the extension of the floor space area in case that the occupants' living situation is changing in the building's lifespan.

For instance, "solarisation" of master plans is an objective of master plan development to allow for the installation of functional and economically feasible solar systems. This solarisation would include the orientation of unshaded roof areas to the south, the roof slope, the size and dimensions of roof areas so that solar systems can be fit as well as the location of the buildings in the neighbourhood in case these roofs are planned to be part of a district heating system in future [6]. Such foresight in master planning is essential for solar thermal systems and also to achieve the highest electricity harvest in case of PV installations. Hence, in order to prepare our buildings for future retrofit of solar systems, provisions need to be made. The requirements thereby depend on the context. In situations with low module prices and high energy tariffs (as in Germany), the design of PV systems is not as restricted anymore by economic constraints and therefore building design for integrated PV systems is freer than in situations with high technology prices compared to the available budget and low saving potentials due to low energy tariffs in a given market, such as in Vietnam.

Future-proof design will make provisions for installation of available technologies that are not economically feasible at the time of the first construct, due to high installation cost with the available budget or uneconomic performance due to low energy prices. In many countries and especially in the emerging economies,

**35**

*Road-Mapping for a Zero-Carbon Building Stock in Developed and Developing Countries*

energy tariffs are subsided for economic and social reasons. It can be expected that subsidies are reduced and that energy rates will increase and that at a point in time in the building's lifespan retrofit of energy-saving measures and renewable energy applications will become more feasible and convincing than they are today. An

Future-proof design can also be made in the expectation of future technologies, such as new energy storage systems or new low-carbon fuels. As such systems move up the technology readiness levels in research and development, they will become

A technology roadmap is an instrument to outline the expected future development and the boundary conditions of such development. The application of roadmaps built on the hypothesis that the future does not simply happen but can be constructed with a view towards a desirable future [7]. A roadmap helps to align short-term targets with long-term goals and directions [8]. The roadmap also helps to understand the context of technical developments better. A technology roadmap will document the current context and will draft the desired future performance. It will then develop a pathway from the current situation towards the intended future performance. In the original form, a roadmap requires a graphical representation and the time axis to depict the required steps in their sequence towards the desired state. Today, besides the graphical representation, table structures and narratives are used in the development and communication of roadmaps. Such roadmap is not static-once developed and then applied until the end of its time frame- but a roadmap design requires mechanisms for its review and continuous improvement [7]. As instruments for planning for the future and for directing the development towards the desired state, roadmaps have been used on various levels in management, economy and policy contexts. Policy roadmaps and sector roadmaps are used widely today to understand the contexts and requirements of transformation processes on the larger scale of countries or worldwide. In companies, roadmaps are used for product planning, the development of capabilities and strategic knowledge assets and to align activities between departments towards a coordinated goal. Phal et al. [7] list various types of roadmaps as given in **Table 1** and their specific

purposes, and obviously, roadmaps can be used for further applications.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92106*

example of future-proof design is given in **Figure 1**.

available for installation in future.

*Zero-emission-ready building design.*

**5. Road-mapping**

**5.1 Introduction**

**Figure 1.**

*Road-Mapping for a Zero-Carbon Building Stock in Developed and Developing Countries DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92106*

**Figure 1.** *Zero-emission-ready building design.*

*Zero-Energy Buildings - New Approaches and Technologies*

interior spaces must be prepared.

in a given market, such as in Vietnam.

**4. Future-proof design**

building's lifespan.

These three strategies can be combined in the building's renovation roadmap. Design in a developing market might first rely on a sufficiency approach (option 3), in which the building design can support the best possible functionality and reduce discomfort, but not guarantee the complete set of performance, which could be achieved when energy would be available at all times. Then, option 1 or 2 could be installed later in the buildings' life cycle as a more functional solution when funds and other capacities are available. Also, in the case of the more extended future where central solutions are developed (option 1), an individual approach (option 2) might only be used as an intermediate solution. In all these cases, the original building design needs

to be prepared from the beginning to accommodate the necessary change.

A similar situation can be observed in many developing countries for the installation of room conditioning systems for cooling and heating. Traditionally, the building users are used to free-running conditions. In such situations, the users have to adapt to the climatic conditions in order to find comfort. At a later stage in the buildings' life cycle, the comfort demand changes and technology becomes affordable in the given market. In consequence, the retrofit of conditioning systems becomes necessary. As we can foresee such change of demands, the retrofit should be factored into the design from the beginning. The initial design should include sufficient installation spaces in appropriate locations for the indoor and outdoor units, and airtightness of the building envelope and appropriate zoning of the

A future-proof design of buildings takes the long-term goals and developments into account at the time of designing. It is not only considered what can be implemented today, but what is to be added and retrofitted in future to complete the building system in order to achieve the intended performance. Future-proof design can consider future energy retrofit measures towards the projected zero-emission performance, but also other objectives, such as barrier-free design or the extension of the floor space area in case that the occupants' living situation is changing in the

For instance, "solarisation" of master plans is an objective of master plan development to allow for the installation of functional and economically feasible solar systems. This solarisation would include the orientation of unshaded roof areas to the south, the roof slope, the size and dimensions of roof areas so that solar systems can be fit as well as the location of the buildings in the neighbourhood in case these roofs are planned to be part of a district heating system in future [6]. Such foresight in master planning is essential for solar thermal systems and also to achieve the highest electricity harvest in case of PV installations. Hence, in order to prepare our buildings for future retrofit of solar systems, provisions need to be made. The requirements thereby depend on the context. In situations with low module prices and high energy tariffs (as in Germany), the design of PV systems is not as restricted anymore by economic constraints and therefore building design for integrated PV systems is freer than in situations with high technology prices compared to the available budget and low saving potentials due to low energy tariffs

Future-proof design will make provisions for installation of available technolo-

gies that are not economically feasible at the time of the first construct, due to high installation cost with the available budget or uneconomic performance due to low energy prices. In many countries and especially in the emerging economies,

**34**

energy tariffs are subsided for economic and social reasons. It can be expected that subsidies are reduced and that energy rates will increase and that at a point in time in the building's lifespan retrofit of energy-saving measures and renewable energy applications will become more feasible and convincing than they are today. An example of future-proof design is given in **Figure 1**.

Future-proof design can also be made in the expectation of future technologies, such as new energy storage systems or new low-carbon fuels. As such systems move up the technology readiness levels in research and development, they will become available for installation in future.
