Zero- and low-energy housing for the Mediterranean climate.

The concept of zero-energy building (ZEB) has gained much international attention and now represents the main future target for the design of buildings. ZEB development in building design construction practice needs to respond quickly to the mandatory new requirements for any new constructions in a few years. This chapter presents and discusses some progress in low- and zero-energy research and practice, with specific reference to the case of the Mediterranean context. It reports the following: a review of the current policy background; some notes on the definition of low- and zero-energy buildings; case studies and demonstration projects; an outlined description of the Mediterranean climate and its cooling demand; passive strategies to reduce the energy demands of buildings; past and ongoing research studies and projects in the Mediterranean region. Starting from very recent research studies in the literature and achievements in building pilot projects, a brief discussion to widen and consolidate current technical knowledge about ZEB and its deep penetration into building common practices is finally presented.