Net-Zero Energy Building Design for Tropical Climates
A Systematic Review of Passive Strategies, Active Technologies, and Performance Benchmarks across the Global Tropics
Main Article Content
Abstract
Buildings account for approximately 40% of global energy consumption, with tropical regions, home to over 4 billion people and experiencing the world's fastest urbanization rates, facing disproportionate cooling loads that make net-zero energy performance a critical design challenge. This paper reports a PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review of 250 peer-reviewed studies on Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) design in tropical climates, drawn from seven databases covering the period January 2016 to December 2026. Studies were analyzed through thematic coding, VOS viewer bibliometric mapping, and fixed-effects meta-analysis. Three objectives are addressed: the categorization and evaluation of passive and active design strategies; quantitative performance benchmarking; and the identification of adoption barriers and research gaps. The meta-analysis of 140 performance studies, comprising 94 simulation studies and 46 post-occupancy measurement studies, yields a median Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 47 kWh/m²/year (95% CI: 42–52) for tropical NZEBs, representing a 55–78% reduction from the conventional median of 195 kWh/m²/year. The three highest-impact strategies are optimized shading (55–75% solar heat gain reduction), naturally ventilated building envelopes, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which collectively enable a renewable energy fraction ranging from 85% to 127% (median 103%). Five principal barriers constrain adoption: high upfront cost (72% citation frequency), regulatory absence (67%), tropical-specific technical gaps (58%), supply chain limitations (51%), and socio-cultural factors (43%). These findings demonstrate that net-zero performance in tropical climates is achievable with current technology but requires targeted regulatory frameworks, context-adapted standards, and expanded post-occupancy research programmes.
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2026 Kalu Cheche, Emeka Okorie, Okoro Simon-Lunt, Ibe, Chinedu Justice (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abdalla, A., Islam, M., & Janajreh, I. (2025). Influence of building orientation on cooling Load: A comparative study. International Journalof ThermoFluids., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijft.2025.101244. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijft.2025.101244
Abdul Rahman, A., & Al Obaidi, K. (2019). Climate Conscious Low-Energy Tropical Built Environment. Penerbit,USM.
Aflaki, A., Mirnezhad, M., Ghaffarianhoseini, A., Ghaffarianhoseini, A., Omrany, H., Wang, Z.-H., et al. (2021). Urban heat island mitigation strategies: A state-of-the-art review on Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong. Cities., 107, 102873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102873. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102873
Attia, S., Eleftheriou, P., Xeni, F., Morlot, R., Ménézo, C., Kostopoulos, V., et al. (2017). Overview and future challenges of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) design in Southern Europe. Energy and Buildings., 155, 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.043
Biyik, E., Araz, M., Hepbasli, A., Shahrestani, M., Yao, R., Shao, L., et al. (2017). Akey Review of Building Integrated Photovotaic(BIPV) System. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 20(3), 833–858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jestch.2017.01.009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jestch.2017.01.009
Bre, F., Lamberts, R., & Fachinello, V. (2022). Development of a simplified method to design energy-efficient residential buildings in hot humid climates. Energy and Buildings., 261, 111960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.111960. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.111960
Cheng, S., Heo, Y., Xin, W., & Chang, A. (2026). Assessing passive cooling strategies for a tropical mixed-mode building using calibrated simulations. Energy and Buildings., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.117376. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.117376
Coma, J., Perez, G., Gracia, A., Bures, S., Urrestarazu, M., & Cabeza, L. (2017). Vertical greenery systems for energy savings in buildings: A comparative study between green walls and green façades. Building and Environment., 111, 228–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.11.014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.11.014
Essien, A., Ekhaese, E., Babalola, D., Okonta, E., & Ajayi, O. (2026). Green infrastructure and climate change adaptation in University Campuses. Frontiers in Sustainability., https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2026.1777259. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2026.1777259
Givoni, B. (1976). Man, Climate and Architecture. Applied Science Publishers.
Grassi, C., Schweiker, M., & Karin-Maria-Soares-Chvatal. (2022). Stochastic Models fo Window opening and Air-conditioning usage in mixed mode Ofices, or Humid Sub-Tropical Climate in Brazil. Buildings and Environment., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109579. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109579
Hernandez, P., Vitriás, I., & García-Dominguez, E. (2022). Potential of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in Tropical Climate: A Systematic Review. Energies., 15(4), 1407. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041407. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041407
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). (2025). Renewable Power Generation Cost in 2024. International Renewable Energy Agency.
Jiang, F., Xie, H., Shi, Q., & Gai, H. (2025). Hospital Ventilation Optimization: Balancing Thermal. Buildings., https://DOI:10.3390/buildings15183267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183267
Li, Z., & Wu, Z. (2024). A study on the impact of electrochromic glazing on indoor environment. Journal o Building Engineering., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.108684. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.108684
Nagasua, M., Kitagawa, H., Asawa, T., & Kubota, T. (2024). A Systematic Review of Passive Cooling Methods in Hot-Humid Climates Using a Text Mining-Based Bibliometric Approach. Sustainability., https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041420
Nayak, A. (2026). Tropical Modernism Beyond Aesthetics: The Politics of Shade nd Air. Arch Daily., https://www.archdaily.com/1041076/tropical-modernism-beyond-aesthetics-the-politics-of-shade-and-air.
Nguyen, A., Tran, Q., Tran, D., & Reiter, S. (2011). An investigation on climate-responsive design strategies of vernacular housing in Vietnam. Building and Environment., 46 (2011) 2088-2106 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/91946/1/BAE_2829.pdf. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.04.019
Olgyay, V. (2015). Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism( New and Expanded). Princeton.: Princeton Uinversity Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77kqb
Pan, Y., Zhang, L., Li, Z., & Ding, L. (2022). Improved ANN supervised learning methodology for BIM-IoT-based building energy management systems. . Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 36(1), 04021036. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000987. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0001014
Peng, J., Lu, L., & Yang, H. (2021). Review on life cycle assessment of energy payback and greenhouse gas emission of solar photovoltaic systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews., 19(1), 255–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.11.035. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.11.035
Perara, U., Weerasuriya, A., Zhang, X., Ruparathna, R., Tharaka, M., & Lewangamage, C. (2024). Selecting Suitable Passive Strategy Strategies, for residential buildings High-Rise Buildings In Tropical Climates to Minimize Building Energy Demand. in multi-tropical climates: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Elsevier, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4870780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4870780
Rababah, H., Gahzali, A., & Mohd Isa, M. (2021). Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) in Southeast Asian Countries: Review of Effects and Challenges. Sustainability., 13(23), 12952; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132312952. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132312952
Rodrigues, E., Fernandes, M., & Carvalho, D. (2023). Future weather generator for building performance research: An open-source morphing tool and an application. Building and Environment., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110104
Saryazdi, S., Etemad, A., Shafaat, A., & Bahman, A. (2024). A comprehensive review and sensitivity analysis of the factors affecting the performance of buildings equipped with Variable Refrigerant Flow system in Middle East climates. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114131
Seto, K., Churkina, G., Hsu, A., Keller, M., Newman, P., Qin, B., et al. (2021). From Low- to Net-Zero Carbon Cities: The Next Global Agenda. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 46, 377–415. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-050120-113117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-050120-113117
Shafique, M., Azam, A., Rafiq, M., & Luo, X. (2020). An Overview of Life Cycle Assessment of Green Roof. Journal of Cleaner Production., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119471
Shan, B., & Junghans, L. (2023). Multi-Objective Optimization for High-Performance Building Facade: Design: A Systematic Literature Review. MDPI: Sustainability., 15(21), 15596; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115596. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115596
Tong, Z., Chen, Y., Malkawi, A., Liu, Z., & Freeman, R. (2016). Energy saving potential of natural ventilation in China: The impact of ambient air pollution. Applied Energy., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.019
Ürge-Vorsatz, D., Cabeza, L., Serrano, S., Barreneche, C., & Petrichenko, K. (2015). Heating and cooling energy trends and drivers in buildings. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 41, 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.039. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.039
Vijayaraghavan, K. (2016). Green roofs: A critical review on the role of components, benefits, limitations and trends. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 57, 740–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.119
Zhang, K., & Zhu, N. (2013). Comparison and analysis of energy consumption of energy-efficient office buildings in different climate regions in China: case studies Frontiers in Energy., 7, 399–405, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-013-0260-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-013-0260-z
Article Sidebar
