The Height of Efficiency: The Atlantic Magazine Highlights Passive House in NYC

“Passive-house structures consume a fraction of the energy used by otherwise comparable buildings…. The most rigorous energy-efficiency standard in the world [is] called Passive House.” (The Atlantic)

the atlantic map locationThis is a very exciting time for Passive House in NYC, as we turn our eyes to the upcoming Cornell Tech Passive House building, currently under construction on Roosevelt Island, New York, and anticipated to be the world’s tallest Passive House structure upon completion. New York City’s buildings are responsible for 71% of the City’s emissions and 94% of its total electricity consumption.  Therefore, only Passive House can deliver the energy reduction goals highlighted in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s One City: Built to Last plan, which aims to cut NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050.  This ambitious yet attainable goal can make NYC the North American model city, following in Brussels, Belgium’s footsteps.  Earlier in 2015, the city of Brussels mandated that all future buildings adhere to the rigorous German Passive House standard.  This legislation was set into action following a five year Exemplary Buildings plan, where the City of Brussels used it’s own government buildings as examples of how the Passive House standard could be applied to its building stock.

Click here to read “The Height of Efficiency” in The Atlantic Magazine

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