Passive House Design Gains Steam in NYC as Leading Sustainability Solution for Commercial Development
As New York City’s landlords and developers stare down tightening carbon-emissions caps with Local Law 97’s deadline fast approaching, the energy efficiency of commercial buildings is becoming even more paramount.
What is Passive House?
The basic tenets of Passive House design include an extremely well-insulated and super-tight building envelope for airtight construction, in addition to a ventilation system to keep air flow healthy and provide excellent thermal comfort.
Passive House Provides Tangible Benefits
A 2020 analysis of passive house and zero energy buildings in San Francisco, conducted by MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub, found that these design solutions “can decrease the climate change impact of the residential sector in San Francisco at a lower life cycle cost” and that they notably reduced overall energy costs compared to conventional homes.