Background: The transition toward net-zero and nearly net-zero buildings has become one of the defining priorities of contemporary construction policy, climate governance, and sustainable design research. Yet the concept of “net-zero” remains vulnerable to simplification when it is treated as an operational energy target alone. The references provided for this study indicate that a meaningful transition requires a broader perspective integrating carbon emissions, life-cycle assessment, material selection, circular construction, rural and regional adaptation, certification systems, policy alignment, and implementation pathways.

Objective: This article develops an integrated research framework for understanding how net-zero building strategies can move beyond isolated performance metrics toward a whole-life, resilient, and context-responsive model of sustainable construction. The study aims to synthesize the provided literature into a publication-ready argument concerning the relationship between net-zero goals, embodied impacts, design-stage decisions, material recovery, and governance conditions.

Methodology: A qualitative integrative review design was adopted using only the references supplied. The literature was organized into six analytical themes: climate-policy and sectoral urgency; net-zero building definitions and contextual adaptation; life-cycle assessment and visualization; sustainability rating systems and design-stage decision support; circular material flows and construction-demolition waste valorisation; and implementation challenges in developing, historical, and rural contexts. A comparative thematic synthesis was then used to develop a unified interpretive framework.

Results: The literature indicates that net-zero building discourse is evolving from an energy-centered paradigm toward a more comprehensive whole-life sustainability model. The most robust studies emphasize that operational efficiency, embodied carbon reduction, material reuse, and resilient local adaptation must be addressed simultaneously. Life-cycle assessment emerges as a pivotal bridging method, while circular use of waste-derived and alkali-activated materials demonstrates the practical value of integrating demolition recovery into new construction and remediation. Certification schemes, BIM-enabled sustainability tools, and public-private partnership strategies offer enabling mechanisms, but their effectiveness depends on contextual fit rather than universal transferability.

Conclusion: The study argues that net-zero buildings should be understood not as isolated technical products but as socio-material systems shaped by early design choices, policy environments, local resource conditions, and end-of-life recovery strategies. Future progress depends on shifting from operational net-zero rhetoric toward a circular, whole-life, and regionally grounded construction paradigm.