Passive House at Brooklyn Cohousing?

Passive House for Brooklyn Cohousing

Passive House principles focus on:

    1) energy efficiency
     2) cost-effectiveness
      3) comfort & clean air

On Tuesday May 19th 6-8pm the public was invited to a presentation and discussion with our building professionals on "Passive House" green building techniques. That presentation and discussion focused on the challenges, unknowns and opportunities of doing this in NYC. You can read the full presentation packet on Passive House for 1901 Eighth Avenue here.

Since then we have made a decision to build our retrofitted site as a Passive House and thus reduce our heating and air conditioning costs by up to 90 percent and overall energy costs by up to 70 percent. Passive House standards focus on energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and comfort. We conducted extensive due diligence before making our decision, and in the end the entire group with a diversity of needs and perspectives felt unanimous that this would be a great program for our building. Better indoor air comfort, better indoor air quality (HEPA filtered fresh air to each room), quiet, tremendous energy savings, and substantial long term savings on operating costs. All-around winner.

See this recent New York Time article for a layman's overview of "PassivHaus" building.

- - - - - -

our Press Release for 5/19/09 event (including links to more info):

Presentation on Passive Housing to Brooklyn Cohousing Offers Tantalizing Glimpse of Clean, Efficient Living

How can a building use a tenth the energy of an average one, yet be built with conventional technology at relatively little additional expense? This was the question a team of architects, builders and consultants talking to Brooklyn Cohousing answered by explaining the techniques of "PassivHaus," a system of construction developed in Germany.

More a set of methods than any one technology, the Passive House design emphasizes building with excellent insulation and windows to create a nearly air-tight seal that radically increases energy efficiency. Fans and a heat pump fill the building with clean HEPA-filtered air 24/7, but in regulated fashion. Acting like a giant thermos, the building requires far less heating and air conditioning than usual.

The team of architects presented their proposal to Brooklyn Cohousing, which is considering using Passive House design in their building project at 1901 Eighth Avenue. About 50 members of the public also attended the event at the Belarusan Church at Atlantic Avenue and Bond Street. The group is pioneering a more community-oriented way of living in New York City. The site, a former factory, will be retrofitted as a 30 unit apartment building, and is located at 1901 Eighth Avenue in South Slope / Greenwood Heights in Brooklyn.

Ken Levenson, the project architect; and Ben Igoe of JBS Construction Management were among the presenters.

There are an estimated 15,000 existing buildings built in Europe that meet "PassivHaus" standards, but only a handful of private homes in the US have been built to the standard to date. If Brooklyn Cohousing decides to build the 30 unit building as a Passive House building, they hope to achieve huge long-term energy savings.

For more information on Brooklyn Cohousing see www.brooklyncohousing.org.

For more information on Passive Haus (house) design, see PassiveHouse Institute USA: http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PHIUSHome.html

recent New York Time article about PassivHaus:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

- - - - - -

BROOKLYN COHOUSING
more cooperative apartment living coming to Brooklyn, New York
Contact us at info@brooklyncohousing.org or (718) 374-5177. Sign up for our e-mailing list.
Passive House for Brooklyn Cohousing Passive House principles focus on: 1) energy efficiency 2) cost-effectiveness 3) comfort & clean air On Tuesday May 19th 6-8pm the public was invited to a presentation and discussion with our building professionals on "Passive House" green building techniques. That presentation and discussion focused on the challenges, unknowns and opportunities of doing this in NYC. You can read the full presentation packet on Passive House for 1901 Eighth Avenue here. Since then we have made a decision to build our retrofitted site as a Passive House and thus reduce our heating and air conditioning costs by up to 90 percent and overall energy costs by up to 70 percent. Passive House standards focus on energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and comfort. We conducted extensive due diligence before making our decision, and in the end the entire group with a diversity of needs and perspectives felt unanimous that this would be a great program for our building. Better indoor air comfort, better indoor air quality (HEPA filtered fresh air to each room), quiet, tremendous energy savings, and substantial long term savings on operating costs. All-around winner. See this recent New York Time article for a layman's overview of "PassivHaus" building. - - - - - - - - - - - - our Press Release for 5/19/09 event (including links to more info): Presentation on Passive Housing to Brooklyn Cohousing Offers Tantalizing Glimpse of Clean, Efficient Living How can a building use a tenth the energy of an average one, yet be built with conventional technology at relatively little additional expense? This was the question a team of architects, builders and consultants talking to Brooklyn Cohousing answered by explaining the techniques of "PassivHaus," a system of construction developed in Germany. More a set of methods than any one technology, the Passive House design emphasizes building with excellent insulation and windows to create a nearly air-tight seal that radically increases energy efficiency. Fans and a heat pump fill the building with clean HEPA-filtered air 24/7, but in regulated fashion. Acting like a giant thermos, the building requires far less heating and air conditioning than usual. The team of architects presented their proposal to Brooklyn Cohousing, which is considering using Passive House design in their building project at 1901 Eighth Avenue. About 50 members of the public also attended the event at the Belarusan Church at Atlantic Avenue and Bond Street. The group is pioneering a more community-oriented way of living in New York City. The site, a former factory, will be retrofitted as a 30 unit apartment building, and is located at 1901 Eighth Avenue in South Slope / Greenwood Heights in Brooklyn. Ken Levenson, the project architect; and Ben Igoe of JBS Construction Management were among the presenters. There are an estimated 15,000 existing buildings built in Europe that meet "PassivHaus" standards, but only a handful of private homes in the US have been built to the standard to date. If Brooklyn Cohousing decides to build the 30 unit building as a Passive House building, they hope to achieve huge long-term energy savings. For more information on Brooklyn Cohousing see www.brooklyncohousing.org. For more information on Passive Haus (house) design, see PassiveHouse Institute USA: http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PHIUSHome.html recent New York Time article about PassivHaus: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp - - - - - -
© Brooklyn Cohousing. Home \| FAQ

BROOKLYN COHOUSING