Explore Passive House Projects

The Passive House Standard is the most rigorous energy efficiency standard a building can achieve. We are excited to see this standard gaining traction and popularity in New York City.  Passive House certified buildings use 60-70% less energy than traditionally constructed buildings. While one building submitted to Celebrate NYC was built from the ground up using Passive House guidelines, 9 other impressive retrofits were completed using EnerPhit, the Passive House retrofitting guidelines. An EnerPhit certified retrofit uses 75% less energy than a traditional “low energy” retrofit, reducing the original building’s energy consumption by up to 90%. Both Passive House and EnerPhit certified buildings rely on several key measures: improved thermal insulation, reduction of thermal bridges, airtightness, high quality windows, ventilation and efficient heat generation and recovery, and use of renewable energy sources.

There are 10 Passive House Certified submissions in Celebrate NYC.

To see each project on the Exhibit Panels, navigate back to the main exhibit page, or find the address on its borough page.

To view additional case studies submitted by project managers, navigate back to the Explore Page.

25 West 88th Street, Manhattan

The combination of focused Passive House construction techniques and careful restoration of historical detail during this gut reconstruction project gave new life to an Upper West Side renaissance revival row house.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #10.

20 Garden Place, Brooklyn

The owner of this fully renovated home pursued a Passive House design not only for lower energy bills, but for the promise of a quieter environment, better indoor air quality, and increased thermal comfort.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #10.

53 West 71st Street, Manhattan

This deep retrofit of an Upper West Side brownstone in a NYC landmarks district negotiated a full façade and stoop restoration while achieving Passive House certification.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #10.

377 East 10th Street, Manhattan

This affordable housing gut renovation meets the Passive House standard to produce comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient homes for the tenants, many of whom have lived here for more than 20 years.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #12.

158 Clifton Place, Brooklyn

A unique showcase of the use of reclaimed wood, this two-family home was renovated to meet EnerPHit, the Passive House standard for retrofits.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #11.

206 East 20th Street, Manhattan

This Passive House retrofit of a two-family townhouse reduced energy use per square foot to one-quarter of a typical New York State household.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #11.

Learn More

Tighthouse, 23 Park Place, Brooklyn

This gut renovation of an 1899 brownstone won an International Passive House Design Award and included a third story addition and a new rear façade.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #11.

Learn More

In the Press

229 Stratford Road, Brooklyn

A gut renovation of a single-family Victorian home met Passive House Plus performance levels by installing efficient equipment, achieving an impressive degree of envelope airtightness, and adding a solar PV array.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #17.

The House at Cornell Tech, 1 East Loop Road

The House at the new Cornell Tech Roosevelt Island campus is 26 stories high, includes more than 350 units, and is the tallest Passive House certified building in the world.

This project is on Exhibit Panel #18.

Want the latest news from Building Energy Exchange?

Sign Up Below For Updates