When it comes to New York City, quality Passive House projects — outside of large-scale developments and apartment complexes — are becoming more and more prevalent. Passive house construction is now showing up in family homes throughout the city, which is made clear with the addition of 25 passive houses by The Brooklyn Home Company.
The city has made strides by adding measures to support greener construction, such as the Climate Mobilization Act, which requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to cut emissions by 40% before 2030 and over 80% before 2050. However, construction continues to be a large contributor to emissions in New York. Individual developers, like The Brooklyn Home Company, have taken matters into their own hands by implementing eco-friendly building techniques and net-zero projects themselves.
Related: Certified Passive House in New York generates all of its own energy
The firm recently unveiled 25 new eco-conscious homes in New York City. The houses are split between two Brooklyn projects in Greenwood Heights and South Slope, and they are the company’s first homes to use Passive House principles in construction.
Passive House principles maintain a standard for energy efficiency by increasing the building’s insulation and introducing streams of fresh, filtered air into the interior environment. It not only improves the air quality for residents, but this concept also reduces the building’s ecological footprint and lowers heating and cooling bills when compared to typical homes.
“Filtered fresh air is clinically proven to improve cognitive brain function (fresh air makes you smarter), reduce transmission of illness between family members and improve the quality of life for those suffering from asthma and allergies,” the company explained. “Lastly, Passive House, due to the required continuous insulation and triple pane European windows, makes your home quieter.” The firm upgraded its HVAC system to integrate Energy Recovery Ventilation, a system which extracts stale air and replaces it with filtered fresh air.
Sustainable building has become a top priority to the company, which has invested in Passive House design training and construction education as well as hired a Passive House consultant to oversee home builds. Additionally, the firm’s architectural project manager is a Certified Passive House Designer.
Photography by Travis Mark via The Brooklyn Home Company
