Global practitioner network

We fuse regenerative design, climate science, and community wisdom.

ZeroBldgDesignDB is a coalition of architects, engineers, ecologists, and policy strategists spanning 12 countries. We unlock net-positive, culturally rooted projects through open knowledge, immersive labs, and circular economy partnerships.

Our mission

To make regenerative, zero-carbon architecture the global default by 2035 through open toolkits, collaborative research, and equity-centered implementation roadmaps.

We focus on:

  • 1 Empowering design teams with evidence-based insights for multiple climate zones.
  • 2 Building coalitions that align finance, policy, and community stewardship.
  • 3 Prototyping circular material economies and measuring carbon handprints.

Impact highlight

83 projects · 19 countries

We have facilitated net-positive retrofits, climate-adaptive campuses, and community energy transitions across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

Embodied carbon reductions
54% avg.
Community co-benefit funds
$68M
Open-source modules
112+

Leadership

Amelia Laurent

Founder & Chief Strategist

Former global director of sustainable cities at UNEP, leads our research-to-action programs and climate finance collaborations.

Diego Navarro

Head of Systems Design

Architect-engineer with 15 years of experience delivering adaptive reuse and mass timber districts across Europe and Latin America.

Dr. Jia Lin

Director of Climate Intelligence

Climate scientist and data ethicist stewarding our environmental informatics, MRV frameworks, and research partnerships.

How we collaborate

Regenerative sprints

12-week labs with interdisciplinary teams, blending digital twins, stakeholder facilitation, and quick prototyping.

Open knowledge

We publish under Creative Commons where possible to accelerate adoption of climate-positive practices.

Community alliances

Partnerships with civic leaders ensure each project builds social and ecological resilience.