Passive House
Ten Trends Shaping Affordable Housing
From Passive House design to a broader range of amenities, affordable housing developers are finding new ways to make housing more efficient, comfortable, and flexible for residents.
‘Passive House’ Standard Gaining Ground in Multifamily Housing
Developers in Chicago and around the country are taking notice of a design standard that encourages energy efficiency and sustainable materials.
Looking to the Middle East for Cooling Architecture
Cooling mechanisms built into traditional architecture offer lessons for U.S. builders as heat waves grow more intense.
‘Passive House’ Development Brings 275 Affordable, Efficient Units to Brooklyn
A 14-story tower uses the ‘Passive House’ approach to drastically reduce energy use and improve quality of life for residents.
Sustainable and Affordable Housing Is No Longer a Pipe Dream
Fresh interest in green building among investors, new incentives, and stricter building codes are making it more possible to include green building practices in affordable housing production.
Net Zero Development Coming to New York City
The project, which relies largely on geothermal energy to minimize its carbon footprint, will bring affordable housing and boost storm resilience to an area devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
Passive Building Incentives Spur New Housing in Massachusetts
Two grant programs aimed at supporting highly efficient, affordable housing developments are yielding promising results.
A Bipartisan Case for Mass Timber—Combating Wildfires and Developing Local Economies
What’s good for our forests and planet can also be good for our jobs, communities, and the economy. That’s why we’re writing this together—an ex-Democratic political operative and an ex-Republican staff member who want to see mass timber flourish.
What if the Greenest Building Isn't the One Already Standing?
Renovating old buildings instead of demolishing them as the better "green" option is preservation orthodoxy. But what if the decision between renovation and demolition is less than clear-cut?
New York's Biggest Challenge for Emission Reduction Goals: Green Building
About 80 percent of New York City's greenhouse gas emissions come from its building stock, so the city's goal to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050 will hinge on aggressive retrofitting requirements in addition to new green building standards.
Doing Well By Doing Good: Passive House and Affordable Housing
Pennsylvania finds proof that Passive House standards can be built at affordable housing prices, after the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency incorporated Passive House benchmarks into its Low Income Housing Tax Credit application.
Cornell Tech's Trailblazing Passive-House Residential Tower Breaks Ground
Construction has begun on the world’s first residential high-rise to meet Passive House standards: a dorm tower on Cornell Tech’s much-anticipated Roosevelt Island campus in New York City.
The Huge Potential for Passive Buildings in the Big Apple
In NYC, unlike most areas in the United States, buildings, rather than transportation, are the major source of carbon emissions. Passive buildings, with their negligible heating and cooling costs, could help meet carbon reduction goals.
Can a Net Zero Cottage Work in the Suburbs?
In its first year alone, Zero Cottage has produced 22 percent more energy than it consumes. But can such an urban project be replicated in a suburban setting?
Seeking Sustainability Beyond LEED
What does it take to build sustainably? That a question that the USGBC's LEED program hoped to define. A group of developers in New York is trying to go beyond LEED to create "truly sustainable buildings".
Is America Ready to Embrace the Passive House?
They sound too good to be true: houses that remain a comfortable temperature throughout the year without traditional climate control systems. Yet 30,000 such homes have been built in Europe. Why haven't passive houses caught on in the U.S.?
A Giant Leap Forward for Low-Income Housing in Philadelphia
Inga Saffron reviews a trio of environmentally friendly rowhouses built for low-income families in Philadelphia's Logan neighborhood, which she proclaims are "superior to anything Philadelphia has done in half a century."
Affordable Living Planned for Orenco Station
One of the country's most publicized New Urbanist developments is diversifying its housing stock, featuring some of the nation's first apartments to be built using Passive House standards, reports Casey Parks.
Is Energy Efficiency the New Granite Countertop?
John McIlwain explores the market for energy efficient housing, and finds growth across the country.
Nation's Largest Net-Zero Mixed Use Project Planned for Philadelphia
Branden Klayko reports on the pioneering project planned by innovative Philadelphia design-build developers Onion Flats.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
