Passive House Examples in Public Administration and Regulation

Posted by NYPH , December 27, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, Passive House Institute

As the popularity of Passive House grows, more public agencies are acknowledging its utility and significance in their planning for a low-carbon future, and are officially incorporating Passive House references and terminology into there regulatory and administrative texts.   Some instances are dramatic mandates, such as building code requirements in Brussels Belgium; others are incentives, such as San Francisco’s option for an expedited planning process for Passive House buildings; while others are…

NAPHN14 in Maine, Martin and a Few Inches of Sub-Slab Insulation

Posted by NYPH , October 5, 2014 - Events, General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, Technical

This is a guest blog post by Bronwyn Barry, a CPHD, Passive House California Board Member, and Co-President of the North American Passive House Network. October 3, 2014 This past weekend saw a lively debate on Twitter between Martin Holladay, myself and a few other Tweeps over what amounts to a few inches of insulation. It followed a very successful North American Passive House Network 2014 (NAPHN14) Conference & Expo…

NYPH Press release: Passive House standard central to New York City Mayor’s plan

Posted by NYPH , October 1, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, News, Real Estate, Technical

PRESS RELEASE   Passive House standard central to New York City Mayor’s plan to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. New York Passive House endorses Mayor’s initiative to scale-up low-energy construction.   New York City October 01, 2014 Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new plan to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from city buildings by 2050 relies on Passive House as a guiding standard for new construction and existing building…

Historical flair meets future-oriented energy concept.

Posted by NYPH , August 25, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, News, Passive House Institute

Historical flair meets future-oriented energy concept Inauguration of new Wilhelminian style Passive House building in Hamburg (Press Release, Passive House Institute, 25 August 2014)   Hamburg/Darmstadt, Germany. Traditional architectural style and the Passive House Standard work together beautifully – this is demonstrated by a fascinating new build project in Hamburg. The “Haus Winter”, designed in the traditional Wilhelminian style, blends seamlessly into the historical character of the district in which it…

Parsons graduate architecture students performing case studies of NYC buildings looking for partners

Posted by NYPH , August 14, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, HVAC, News, Technical

David White of Right Environments, a NYPH member and Parsons faculty, is looking for architects, developers, or building owners to partner with Parsons graduate architecture students performing case studies of NYC buildings.  They will be studying energy use, thermal comfort, air quality, and related building science subjects. The partner will meet with students to discuss the design approach and potential areas of study; provide drawings; and help coordinate permission for access to…

Passive House and the Public Domain

Posted by NYPH , July 30, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, Passive House Institute

If there is a question as to what it means to be a Passive House, please see the blog post “What is Passive House?”  But if there is a question as to the history of Passive House, the public domain and trademarks in the US, let’s review: The Passive House Institute (PHI), founded in the early 1990s, filed for the trademark “Passive House Institute” and its mark in 2007, and…

“High cholesterol building”, Urban Green Council July Report

Posted by NYPH , July 30, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, News, Passive House Institute

At NYPH we like this July report from Urban Green Council, named "High cholesterol building". A really great study that outline the current problems with today’s building envelopes, issues with how they are regulated, and the solutions we can pursue now.   "What's a high cholesterol building? One that’s on a fad diet today but will have severe environmental problems in the future. It turns out there’s a loophole in our energy code that…

Leading Beyond LEED: NYC Buildings and the Evolving Fight to Consume Less Energy

Posted by NYPH , July 28, 2014 - Events, General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, News

Here is an article written by Tobias Salinger from the Commercial Observer on the Passive House Revolution in New York City:   "One of the country’s first hyper-efficient affordable multifamily passive houses was failing a basic evaluation early this month and nobody on architect Chris Benedict’s Architecture and Energy Limited team could figure out why. When the innovative foam-and-stucco structure at 803 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick couldn’t hold up to the blower…

Architects and Advocates Predict Passive Revolution

Posted by Andreas Benzing , June 19, 2014 - Events, General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, News

Hundreds of architects, builders and advocates called for residential and commercial buildings of all sizes to consume 75 percent less energy in order to live up to so-called “passive house” standards at a convention yesterday. The New York Passive House conference and expo at in the Flatiron district attracted both a local and international crowd of those interested in perfecting and popularizing the strict German specifications that make use of controlled ventilation, air-tight installation…

Mamaroneck Passive House

Posted by NYPH , April 21, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle

"I have now been living in our brand new passive house for 3 weeks and wish to report my first impressions: Peace, bliss, silence, fresh air, no draft, no headache: WOW, it actually does what it says on the box! What was a bit destabilizing in the beginning is that you do not hear anything at all: no furnace igniting like a truck has started moving in your crawl space,…

Gain free access to the iPHA Forum

Posted by NYPH , April 15, 2014 - General Interest - Science & Lifestyle, Passive House Institute

Through our affiliation with the International Passive House Association, New York Passive House members are also iPHA members. Access to the Forum is included as a member benefit. Now iPHA is expanding access to include PassREg members. See their press release below: Where Passive House Stakeholders meet The forum of the International Passive House Association (iPHA) serves as the international gathering place for discussions on all things Passive House. Traditionally…

Free screening: “Passive House Revolution”, Mon. April 14 in LIC

Posted by NYPH , April 7, 2014 - Events, General Interest - Science & Lifestyle

Free Screening of Documentary on Super-Efficient Buildings, Monday, April 14, 7 PM Coffeed, 37-18 Northern Blvd., LIC, NY 11101 Note: This is a Resilience NYC Meetup Event Resilience NYC Meetup hosts a free screening of documentary "Passive House Revolution," its NYC premiere. Special guest after the screening is architect Tom Paino, who turned his LIC home into a super-efficient but controversial Passive House. It's part of a series of sustainability film…