The Hadera Courthouse is a pioneer project in Israel achieving a nearly net-zero energy design.
It was the first public assembly building in Israel to set a challenging goal of achieving nearly NZE design, with at least 80% overall energy savings compared with standard practice. Through an integrative design process with the developer and design team, the project design includes many energy efficiency measures.
The project followed a 3 step methodology to achieve nearly net-zero energy design:
- The project has first focused on passive architectural design, with optimized orientation, thermal insulation, external shadings, window areas, and specifications.
- Once the passive design was optimized, the team focused on designing energy-efficient MEP systems such as LED lighting, high-efficiency inverter chiller, variable speed drives, and so on.
- Finally, after the project reduced its energy consumption, the project maximized on-site renewable energy production through a large rooftop solar PV system, with an installed capacity of over 230 kWp.
Hadera Courthouse is the first public assembly building in Israel to achieve 3 stars in the local Israeli Standard 5281.
Architects: Rechter Architects
Sustainability, SI-5281: Alfa, Gelbert
Photo: Dor Nevo