Page 5 - ZEB Final Report 2009-2017

Foreword | 5

knit and ambitious cross-disciplinary collaboration between
Fredrik Shetelig SINTEF, NTNU, and industry partners. Our experience with
The Dean, Faculty of Architecture and ZEB has strengthened our position in research communities
Design, NTNU and opened new doors to global research opportunities,
expanding an existing international network. We are also proud
to have provided society with scores of young experts stemming
The Host's Foreword from our highly attractive Master program in sustainable
architecture and our PhD-program linked to ZEB. ZEB's legacy
will continue to influence and enrich the education of architects
The ZEB Centre has been a natural part of NTNU, with its and engineers for many years through the revision of our
long history of research on the sustainable built environment, Master programs, inspired by the recently published ZEB book
stretching back to 1919 and on into the future. ZEB's eight-year and by attracting excellent scientific staff to our departments.
life span has provided society with research based innovation We will continue our strategic trajectory by expanding the
contributing to the green transition, demonstrated in a string of research scope in our new FME centre ZEN (Zero Emission
successful pilot buildings. These results are based on the close- Neighbourhoods in Smart Cities).

process, with a very large number of actors and activities over a
Anne Grete Hestnes very long period of time. Research on energy- and environment-
Professor Emeritius, NTNU, friendly buildings has taken place at NTNU and SINTEF for
Senior Scientiic Advisor, ZEB
many decades, with slowly increasing funding, improved
laboratory facilities, and with very useful knowledge developed
by a series of experimental and demonstration buildings. As a
The ZEB Vision matter of fact – the first experimental buildings were erected on
NTNU's Gløshaugen campus (then NTH) already in 1919!
As a result of these activities, the necessary knowledge,
The vision of the ZEB Centre has been to become a national competence, and international recognition was already in
research centre that places Norway at the forefront of research, place when the first round of FMEs was announced, ensuring a
innovation, and implementation of buildings for the future successful application and the chance to follow our vision and
– buildings with extremely low energy requirements and to reach our goals.
a net zero climate footprint. Its primary goal has been to At the same time, the building industry was also ready
develop products and solutions that can bring about a market for the challenge. Although there was an economic recession,
breakthrough for such buildings. the larger actors in the industry were all willing and eager to
As should be clear from the various presentations in this participate in a program preparing them for the future. It was
report, the goal has in large part been reached, and we can therefore possible to establish ZEB as a really national team,
now see the contours of these “buildings for the future”. It is, involving just about all the key actors.
however, useful to acknowledge that this is the result a long