Two Passive House Renovations, One Proven Approach – GreenBuildingAdvisor

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Two Brooklyn projects, two different teams, and the same systematic approach

Over the past decade, our approach to Passive House renovations has developed through close collaboration with the people who help us build them. Each project brings different challenges, but the fundamentals stay the same. For each one, we bring the team together early, work through the details before construction, and test along the way.

What is exciting about these two projects is that they were built by the contractors who first helped us create our systematic approach. Taffera Fine Building & Finishes, who built the Carriage House, completed the first Passive House in Manhattan (also LEED Platinum), and Kleen Construction, who built Cobble Hill, completed the first certified Passive House in a landmarked district. Both have gone on to complete other Passive House projects and have opened their sites to the contractor collectives we discussed in previous articles, so it is fitting to include them and their wisdom here. BLDGTYP’s John Mitchell, the Passive House consultant and energy modeler, and Kevin Brennan, the airtightness and insulation expert, worked on both projects, and we spoke with them as well.

Two Projects With Almost Nothing in Common

The Cobble Hill Italianate is a mid-1800s townhouse, gut renovated and Passive House certified, and it is what most of our readers picture when they hear “Brooklyn townhouse.” The front facade is protected by landmarks, and the windows were simulated divided-lite that needed to match the historic profile exactly. The front door was original, so we moved the airtight layer to the interior vestibule door. We added a two-story rear extension, which let us put the kitchen at the rear of the parlor floor and connect it to the family room below with a staircase. The cellar was brought inside the thermal envelope, inspired by a speakeasy with a full bar and a musical…