By Andrew Wood, Director of PR and Content
Its popularity in New York City is on the rise. It’s huge in Europe. It made waves in Stamford, Conn., just two years ago with the announcement that the city would see it for the first time. And now, the Passive House—considered the world’s most energy-efficient construction practice—is set to make its debut in New Canaan, Conn.
It’s helpful to begin with some background: Physicist Wolfgang Feist is credited with developing the principles for Passive House building in Germany during the 1990s, including the most critical elements: the air tightness of the building envelope (the home’s shell), thicker exterior insulation, reduction of inefficient energy pathways, triple-pane high-efficiency windows that keep the home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and HRV units that brings fresh air inside while taking the heat from stale indoor air before expelling it outdoors. As long as they meet these criteria, Passive Houses can be built in any architectural style with any building materials. A few Passive buildings began to first appear in the U.S. approximately 10 years ago and are only becoming more prominent now, although the number of these buildings in the country still only number in the low hundreds. One architect recently claimed that there are only 350 passive houses in the US, versus 30,000 to 50,000 in Europe.
Awareness of the movement is certainly growing. Notably, there is a White House initiative in New York to support the construction of more properties built to Passive House standards. And New York City will soon see the world’s tallest Passive House building with the completion of the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, according to Curbed.
According to Salvatore Zarrella of Construction Management Group (CMG), who is now building his third Passive House in Connecticut, “Passive Houses are 90% more efficient than the average home, with a building envelope so air tight that they effectively run on the amount of energy required from a blowdriver. A room can be heated with nothing more than candles. Imagine essentially arriving at net zero for energy use—that is, a home that produces the same amount of or more energy than it consumes. How many problems could we solve then? If net zero is the Holy Grail in construction standards, going Passive is the best way to get there.”
Common techniques in Passive building include orienting the interiors to take full advantage of sunlight, with spaces such as closets and garages occupying areas of the home that would not benefit as much from the sun; adding thick, highly insulated walls; and installing windows and ventilation systems that exchange indoor and outdoor air in a way that keeps rooms at a comfortable, moderate temperature year round without the need for heating or air conditioning systems. According to a New York Times story on the recent increase in Passive building in New York City, owners of these properties experience lower energy bills, a quieter living environment and air that is so clean it can reduce asthmatic and allergy symptoms.
CMG is seeking not only to expand Passive’s footprint in Connecticut, but to introduce this unique approach to the luxury sector. The Fairfield County-based firm brought the concept to Stamford for the first time in 2015, listing pre-construction a traditional farmhouse for $1,779,000 and a modern for $1,695,000. Both were sold by William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty agent Walter Block and are currently under construction.
Now, the company will build the first ever Passive House in New Canaan, as explored in a recent Forbes story. Listed for sale for $4,195,000, the proposed 4,000 square-foot home on 1.74 acres will include four bedrooms with en-suite baths, an additional half bath, two terraces and a three-car garage. Like the two Stamford properties, it is designed by architect Lucien Vita.
“These homes are at once practical and beautiful, with a superior quality of building,” said Block. “The amount of interest we have been generating, just from the initial design renderings alone, has been tremendous.”
For more on this one-of-a-kind offering, please visit the listing on our site here
