Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

In order to address global warming, most countries in the world have established carbon-neutral targets and are continuously taking action to achieve carbon neutrality. The building sector accounts for 36% of end-use energy consumption and 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions globally, so carbon mitigation in the building sector is considered to be the most critical step in completing the “last mile” of global carbon neutrality. Low-carbon buildings and communities are the foundation for achieving low-carbon cities and the key transition to reach the goal of carbon neutrality. Therefore, this review: (a) provideS a comprehensive review of countries’ policies on low-carbon buildings and communities and a theoretical basis for improving the corresponding laws and regulations; (b) investigateS low-carbon technologies related to building and community construction and operation, as well as identify the current technology gaps; (c) provideS a comprehensive overview of low-carbon buildings and communities assessment systems to analyze and evaluate the economic, technical, environmental and social benefits of current building and community energy systems; and (d) identifies enablers and barriers in low-carbon buildings and communities to provide direction for future research. The results of this paper provide insights into further achieving low-carbon buildings and communities.