An integrated design team, led by HOK and energy and daylighting consultant The Weidt Group, have determined it is possible to construct a market-rate net zero emissions Class A commercial office building in today’s market as a result of a 10-month virtual design exercise.
The team selected a potentially developable site in midtown St. Louis, Mo., for the Net Zero Co2urt project. They selected this site for its challenging four-season climate, because electricity costs in Missouri are among the lowest in the country — a factor that challenged the team’s ability to make the design affordable — and because St. Louis’ electrical fuel profile is 81 percent coal. The team determined that the focus would be on net zero emissions, not energy, since buildings are responsible for 39 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.
