Getting a building to net zero carbon is not a single upgrade — it is the sum of dozens of decisions made across design, construction, operation and, ultimately, offsetting. Skip one stage or misjudge the balance between energy efficiency and renewable generation, and the target quietly slips out of reach.

The Training Course in Designing and Delivering Net Zero Carbon Buildings, offered by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, follows that full lifecycle. Participants start with the regulatory and market drivers pushing carbon neutrality, move through passive design, renewable energy integration and low-carbon materials, and finish with the carbon offset and certification mechanisms used to close any remaining gap.

By the end, participants will be equipped to model, design and manage buildings that measurably reduce carbon emissions, apply recognised certification frameworks such as LEED and BREEAM, and report sustainability performance with the transparency stakeholders now expect.

Target Audience

• Architects and building designers responsible for planning energy-efficient, low-carbon buildings.
• Project managers, construction engineers and contractors delivering buildings against sustainability and carbon targets.
• Sustainability consultants advising clients on the path to carbon neutrality and green certification.
• Facility managers, policy makers and regulators shaping or applying standards for net zero carbon construction.

Course Objectives

• Explain the principles of net zero carbon design and the lifecycle approach from design through deconstruction.
• Apply passive design, high-performance envelopes and energy modelling to minimise a building's baseline energy demand.
• Integrate solar, wind, geothermal and energy storage systems to cover remaining energy needs from renewable sources.
• Select low-carbon, high-performance materials and sustainable construction techniques that reduce embodied carbon.
• Use carbon footprint calculators and offsetting strategies to close any gap between actual and target emissions.
• Navigate LEED, BREEAM, ISO 50001 and related standards, and track and report sustainability performance transparently.

Module 1: The Net Zero Carbon Agenda

• Defining Net Zero Carbon Buildings and their place in global sustainability goals.
• Regulatory, market and stakeholder drivers pushing the construction sector toward carbon neutrality.
• The lifecycle principle: treating design, construction, operation and offsetting as one connected system.

Module 2: Cutting Energy Demand Through Design

• Passive design strategies — orientation, natural ventilation and insulation — that reduce demand before equipment is specified.
• High-performance envelopes: advanced glazing, thermal insulation and airtightness.
• Energy modelling and simulation to predict consumption and identify savings opportunities.

Module 3: Low-Carbon Materials and Construction

• Selecting materials with a low carbon footprint, guided by life-cycle assessment.
• Sustainable construction techniques, including modular building, prefabrication and waste reduction.
• Green roofs and walls as both a thermal and an environmental strategy.

Module 4: Powering Buildings with Renewable Energy

• Solar photovoltaic integration and assessing solar potential by location and orientation.
• Wind and geothermal energy as complementary or alternative renewable sources.
• Energy storage systems and their role in balancing supply, demand and grid independence.

Module 5: Closing the Gap with Carbon Offsetting

• What carbon offsetting is and the main categories of offset projects (reforestation, renewable energy, methane capture).
• Calculating a building's carbon footprint and the remaining gap to net zero.
• Integrating offset planning from the design stage and tracking it through the building's life.

Module 6: Certification, Standards and Reporting

• Green building certifications — LEED, BREEAM and WELL — and how they validate net zero performance.
• The role of ISO 50001 and other national and international standards.
• Tracking, reporting and communicating sustainability performance to stakeholders and certifying bodies.