The R-951 Residence, a row house with three 1500-ft2 duplex condos that was designed by Paul Castrucci Architect, is the first building in New York City to achieve both Passive House Certification and the Net Zero Energy-Ready certification set by NYSERDA. Beautifully constructed, the building is clean, quiet, and comfortable in all seasons.
Designed for resiliency, the thermal bridge-free, high performance building envelope was constructed using an insulated concrete form (ICF) superstructure. Each all-electric apartment has its own energy-recovery ventilator (ERV) to bring in constant fresh air, a heat pump water heater for hot water, a mini-split heat pump for heating and cooling—and private outdoor space. The building has a 1,200-gallon rainwater collection system, adding to its sustainability.
A grid-tied 12.5-kW solar PV system tops the roof, yielding approximately 4 kW per apartment. Each apartment has its own inverter that can be switched to supply daytime backup power during a utility outage. This Passive House building has been estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 320,000 metric tons annually, directly addressing Mayor de Blasio’s new ‘80 by 2050’ goals.
Further details, floor plans, and images can be viewed at http://R-951.com
See the project on the Passive House Buildings database here.
PH Metrics
TFA 347 m2
Heating demand 14.8 kWh/m2 a
Cooling demand 12.5 kWh/m2 a
Primary energy demand 109 kWh/m2 a
Airtightness 0.56 ACH50
Project Team
Architect: Paul Castrucci, Architect, castrucciarchitect.com
Developer: Further, Inc., @FurtherInc
HVAC/Building Science: Zero Energy Design, zeroenergy.com
Solar: Aeon Solar, aeonsolar.com
Photo Credit: Timothy Bell Photography
