1st Passive House was a ship, not a house. Arctic Ocean 1893. Fridtjof Nansen

Farthest North    By Dr. Fridtjof Nansen

Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship “Fram” 1893–96 and of a Fifteen Months’ Sleigh Journey by Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen

“……….. walls were covered with several thick coatings of non-conducting material, the surface layer, in touch with the heat of the cabin, consisting of air-tight linoleum, to prevent the warm, damp air from penetrating to the other side and depositing moisture, which would soon turn to ice. The sides of the ship were lined with tarred felt, then came a space with cork padding, next a deal panelling, then a thick layer of felt, next air-tight linoleum, and last of all an inner panelling. The ceiling of the saloon and cabins consisted of many different layers: air, felt, deal panelling, reindeer-hair stuffing, deal panelling, linoleum, air and deal panelling, which, with the 4-inch deck planks, gave a total thickness of about 15 inches………….The skylight which was most exposed to the cold was protected by three panes of glass, one within the other, and in various other ways….”

“Whether the thermometer stands at 22° above zero or at 22° below it, we have no fire in the stove. The ventilation is excellent, especially since we rigged up the air sail, which sends a whole winter‘s cold in through the ventilator; yet in spite of this we sit here warm and comfortable, with only a lamp burning. I am thinking of having the stove removed altogether; it is only in the way.“
(From Nansen: “Farthest North”, Brockhaus, 1897)

east wall section

view to balcony and stairs

facade

project description

The residential project. in Hunters Point, Long Island City involves a late-19th century terrace house to be demolished except for the foundation and the shared party walls with neighboring properties to the north and south. The new construction will rely on the existing true party walls and existing foundation for support with the exception of the rear extension.

The existing building is one of eight-in-a-row, three-story masonry houses built contemporaneously in 1903 and employing common concrete foundations and brick party-wall structural methods. Recent mapping has determined that the entire block is in the flood plain placing the basement level (a full living area) below the flood plain elevation. Code prohibits substantial renovation to any useable space below this legal datum. The project, therefore, consists of raising this lowest level out of the flood plain and the subsequent levels to maintain floor-to-floor heights. This will be accomplished using the existing party walls which will remain in place. Also, there is a three story extension in the rear aligning to the new floor slab heights. Finally, the front façade which has been an eyesore for some 60 years due to an unfortunate remodeling will be replaced with a design that complements the adjoining houses in an effort to maintain the context of the block.

The house is designed according to Passive House standards; see: http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html for an overview. The construction is to meet Passive House standards (PH) requiring the inspection and sign-off on insulation levels and installation techniques by the energy engineer. Although common for decades in western Europe, PH is now coming to the consciousness of Americans as energy prices increase.

passive house (passivhaus) description

Based on design models established by Germany’s Passivhaus Institut, passive
dwellings basically heat and cool themselves, often slashing typical heating bills by upwards of
90%. Although more than 30,000 of these ‘zero-energy’ buildings have been erected in countries
like Austria and Germany, passive houses remain rare in the United States; only 12 U.S. projects have
been awarded certification from the Passive House Institute, the American arm of Passivhaus Institut.
Not to be confused with passive solar, which requires architects to calibrate their designs to
maximize solar energy, passive houses focus on minimizing the amount of energy used to heat,
cool, and operate a dwelling. Unlike more traditional green residential designs, which often rely
on pricey technologies like solar panels and wind turbines, passive houses come close to achieving
near-zero energy consumption by being super-insulated and airtight; a focus on old-fashioned
building science to reduce energy use by up to 90% less energy.
To achieve this, builders insulate the entire envelope, including the walls, roof, even the foundation, and meticulously caulk, seal, and tape every possible gap or opening in the house so that the structure
is so airtight it could literally hold water.
In addition to eschewing structural elements that might serve as thermal bridges (allowing hot or
cold air to escape), passive design also relies on strategically placed windows to ensure the
home gains more heat than it loses. Last but not least, passive houses tap into the energy and
residual heat (from, say, a clothes dryer or a pot of pasta cooking on the stove) that exist in the
house through an advanced heat-recovery system; a “magic box,” the only mechanical equipment
required in a passive house.
It brings fresh air in and exhausts stale air and brings fresh air in, all the while transferring the
heat to the new air coming in.” And ‘airtight’ doesn’t mean you can’t open the windows;
Passive houses operate like any other house. They’re just a lot more efficient.

design principles

45-12 11 St. is designed to human scale, using only what is needed, remaining open and airy. High ceilings, warm materials, clean lines and abundant light and breezes will make the home feel even more spacious. A full-home, automated smart technology system enables the Homeowners to control heat, lighting and cameras, as well as track utility consumption in real time.
Throughout the home, materials and technology will help save energy.

Demolition
Wood joists and other wood members to be recycled to local artisan.

Water-efficiency
45-12 11 St. will feature an array of water-efficient technologies and appliances, such as low-flow shower heads and dual-flush toilets that generally use less than a gallon of water each flush.
From the ground up to the roof, 45-12 11 St.’s landscape design will demonstrate an eco-friendly aesthetic with systems that sustain and replenish the environment: green roofs, rain barrels, porous paving and rain gardens.• Native plants have extensive root systems, are welladapted to our climate, and attract beneficial insects.
• Green roofs reduce energy costs; decrease the urban heat island effect by cooling air temperature
and slow stormwater run-off.
• Rain barrels harvest rainwater to irrigate plants, so we use less drinking-quality water.
• Fresh vegetables and herbs are available during threeseasons.
The green roof helps insulate, absorb rainwater and minimize runoff. Solar rooftop panels generate much of the home’s electricity. ENERGY STAR appliances and an array of energy-efficient
technologies help save energy as well.

Heat-retaining building shape
45-12 11 St. has a simple, rectangular shape to minimize the ratio of surface area to volume. (A cube
would be even better. A sphere has the lowest ratio.)

Super insulation
The walls are more than a foot thick to achieve an insulation value of about R-50. In comparison, NYC’s building code requires a minimum side wall insulation level of just R-13.

High-performance windows
The triplepane windows achieve an R-11 insulation value in the center of the glass, and they close like a bank vault to stop cold drafts.

Air-tight construction
All the holes and seams in the building envelope (the outer perimeter
of the living space) have been carefully sealed. As a result, it’s expected that the “draftiness” of
45-12 11 St will be less than 0.6 air changes per hour when measured by a pressurized blower door test. In comparison, a typical new house might have 3-6 air changes per hour, and a drafty old house might be as high as 20.

Thermal bridge-free construction
The walls in 45-12 11 St. are designed to eliminate such thermal bridging with the strategic placement of insulation.

Ventilation and moisture control
No combustion sources — Combustion creates carbon monoxide and other air
pollutants, which is why gas furnaces and appliances need to be vented to the outside.
But that venting wastes a lot of energy. Why blow warm air out of the house in the
winter? 45-12 11 St. will have no combustion sources—no furnace, no fireplace, no gas stove, no gas hot water heater, no gas clothes dryer.

Heat-recovery ventilation
In the future, it will probably be unusual to experience a house with a gas-fired furnace
or boiler. It will be strange to hear the noise of a blower motor and feel a blast of hot air
or to hear the clanking of steam pipes. It will seem uncivilized to live in a house with
drafts, cold spots, and room temperatures that fluctuate wildly as the furnace cycles on
and off. And it will seem ridiculous to pay a lot of money for heating bills.

An airtight house can develop indoor air quality problems if adequate ventilation is not provided. But when you vent stale air from a house, you also lose heat. So 45-12 11 St. ventilation system transfers the heat of the outgoing air to the incoming fresh air. The energy is transferred at 84 percent efficiency. As a result, the house has healthy fresh air with little energy penalty.
45-12 11 St. is designed to maintain temperature like a thermos. The heating demand will be so low that the home needs no conventional furnace.
45-12 11 St.’s energy recovery ventilation system will provide a continuous flow of
fresh, filtered air at the proper humidity. In addition, the walls are designed so moisture
cannot accumulate and create mold. (Some of the passive solar houses of the ‘70s had problems because they failed to address this.)

Ventilation
Energy-recovery ventilation (ERV) exhausts stale air and brings in fresh air while
capturing approximately 84 percent of the heat, controlling humidity, and filtering the air.

Energy-efficient appliances and lighting
It makes no sense to build an extremely energy-efficient house and then fill it with energyhogging
appliances and lighting. So 45-12 11 St will feature Energy Star appliances and extremely efficient
LED lighting.

Low-VOC paints and materials
45-12 11 St. will be built by using non-toxic materials: no- or low-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) paints; air filtration and purification systems Volatile organic compounds off-gas from drying
paint and can be hazardous, so they should be reduced as much as possible. Other materials in the home are chosen with this in mind. Hard-surface floors — Carpeting can be a trap for dirt, dust, allergens, mites, mold, and other things that can affect your health. 45-12 11 St. will
have recycled hardwood floors that are easier to keep clean, along with carpet tiles and
rugs that can be washed.

Quiet
With its thick, well-insulated walls, high-performance windows, and no noisy forced-air furnace, 45-12 11 St. should be a quiet refuge from all the noise pollution in the rest of our urban environment.