Unlocking Zero: An Architect’s Guide to Net-Positive Built Environment emerges from this urgent need to rethink how we design, inhabit, and steward our living spaces. This book brings together diverse perspectives—spanning rural agrarian heritage, sustainable construction materials, climate-responsive design, energy-efficient technologies, and community-centered planning—to offer a comprehensive understanding of what truly constitutes net-positive built environment. Rather than viewing sustainability as a single design feature or certification, the chapters collectively highlight it as an integrated approach that connects culture, technology, ecology, and human well-being.
Each contribution in this volume reflects the evolving realities of Indian and global contexts. From lessons embedded in vernacular wisdom to the promise of mass timber, from regulatory frameworks shaping urban energy transitions to innovative design strategies for schools and residences, the book emphasizes that achieving net-positive housing requires both structural transformation and a shift in mindset. Importantly, it foregrounds the role of local communities, participatory planning, and indigenous knowledge—reminding us that sustainability is as much social and cultural as it is technological.
This book is intended for architects, planners, researchers, students, policymakers, and practitioners who envision a future where the built environment operates in harmony with natural systems. It aims to serve as a guide, a reference, and an inspiration—encouraging readers to explore new possibilities, challenge existing assumptions, and design for a more resilient and regenerative world.
We hope that Unlocking Zero contributes meaningfully to ongoing conversations and, more importantly, to on-ground actions that support a healthier planet and more equitable habitats. The journey toward net-positive housing is complex, but it is undeniably essential—and it begins with informed, thoughtful, and compassionate design.
Unlocking Zero: An Architect's Guide to Net-Positive Built Environment
Ar. Madhuri Agarwal is an architect, gold medalist in Architecture Pedagogy, and Assistant Professor of the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida.With over fifteen years of experience spanning academics, research, and practice, she works at the intersection of sustainable design, heritage, and architectural education, guiding future architects to create regenerative, net positive built environments.
Ar. Aakash Panchal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. He holds an M.Arch in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and a B.Arch (Hons.) from the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Lucknow. A certified architect with the Council of Architecture, India, he has contributed to several international collaborative research projects focused on Indian cities, public spaces, and ecological restoration.