As demand for energy is skyrocketing around the globe, environmental challenges are becoming more severe than ever before. Carbon dioxide, methane gas and other greenhouse gases are rapidly contributing to global warming and ozone depletion phenomenon. Buildings are among major contributors of greenhouse gases. They are consuming more than 40% of total energy and three quarter of the total electricity in the United States. It is to some distance the responsibility of building design professionals to address the impacts of their practice on the environment by reducing the energy consumption and carbon emission of their projects. This thesis aims to create a practical design guideline to help architects design energy-neutral homes in North America. The study's primary emphasis is on reducing building energy demand by implementing core principles of building physics into the design process throughout a case study project. What makes this process unique compared to other existing green design programs is its focus on architect's knowledge to implement core energy saving design strategies into design and evaluate their performance with a normative simulation tool. Selection and analysis of building systems, financial evaluation of cost effective systems and materials, uncertainty analysis of building systems, construction cost estimating and marketing analysis of the case study project, demonstrate simple strategies for designers to use in projects with higher sensitivity. In conclusion, the idea behind this methodology is building marketable energy-neutral homes in the current market with existing materials and none-complex technologies. The success of this design method is depends on the knowledge and skills of architects in building science, architectural design, and building construction. Despite barriers and many uncertainties embedded in this process, moving toward energy-neutral homes will have positive impacts on environment even if it could not reach the Net-Zero balance.

Undoubtedly, Juli Zeh is one of the most important and interesting current German female writers, who is gaining her reputation abroad as well. In her pieces, there are current issues and philosophical questions combined together and, therefore, she affects readers on several different levels. Novel ?Spieltrieb? isn´t different. The author introduces questions of freedom, guilt, will, violence and law in this novel ? and the individual characters throw light on the matters from different views. The objective of the diploma thesis is to present the way of these topics ?personalizing?, using a precise character analysis (analysis of the names, languages, private stories, corporalities and features of particular characters). The method which has been used for the analysis is close reading, based on a precise and combinatory reading. The analyses and reflections is supplemented an interview with the author.

Zugl.: Jena, Univ., Diss.

Zugl.: Jena, Univ., Diss.