What is a Passive House? A New Benchmark For Green Building

February 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

96 St. Marks Ave. - Passive House in BrooklynOur team has recently been engaged as the exclusive marketing agent to represent the developers in the sale of the condos at the first multi-family Passive House to be built in the United States.  For some of our potential customers, and perhaps those in the real estate community, this raises the question: “So what is a Passive House?”  We thought we would take a look at the basics.

According the Passive House Institute U.S.:

“A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.”

The PassivHaus standard arose out of a collaboration that begin in 1988 between Professor Bo Adamson of Lund University in Sweden and Professor Wolfgang Feist of the Institute for Housing and Environment in Germany.  The collaboration ultimately grew into the development of a standard that could be applied methodologically to any property type.  Today, there are more than 25,000 Passive Houses in Europe and dozens of certified buildings in the United States with hundreds more now being planned across the country.

Unlike other sustainable development standards, Passive House certification focuses primarily on reducing the energy consumption ofWhat is a Passive House? the building by reducing the heating and cooling demand to a level near zero.  Over the course of a building’s lifespan, 85% of its environmental impact is caused by energy consumption.  To reduce that impact, Passive Houses focus on the quality of the building’s envelope and the orientation and design of the structure.  The envelope’s thermal performance must be optimal, it must be virtually air-tight and free of heat-bridges (see the Thermogram below.  The dark colors show how little heat is escaping from the Passive House on the right and how much is escaping from the traditionally built building on the left).

In order to receive certification as a Passive House, a building must meet the following absolute requirements:

  • It must have an annual heating demand of not more than 15kWh/m² per year (4746 btu/ft² per year) in heating and 15 kWh/m² per year cooling energy OR be designed with a peak heat load of 10W/m²
  • Total primary energy (source energy for electricity and etc.) consumption (primary energy for heating, hot water and electricity) must not be more than 120 kWh/m² per year (3.79 × 104 btu/ft² per year)
  • The building must not leak more air than 0.6 times the house volume per hour (n50 ≤ 0.6 / hour) at 50 Pa (N/m²) as tested by a blower door

Passive House thermogramThere appears to be quite an interest in Passive Houses in the United States.  Our team has been networking at sustainable development events in recent months and have met a myriad of architects, engineers, contractors, developers, and end users with an interest in building to the standard.  There are numerous other single family homes that have been built as Passive Houses in Brooklyn and we recently heard of two planned condominium developments totaling more than thirty units.  Last year, when the Passive House in the Woods opened its doors to visitors, more than 2,000 people came to learn about the property in a six week period.

If you are interested in learning more about the Passive House standard, there are literally thousands of great resources available with a quick Google search (don’t forget to check out all the great videos on You Tube as well).  If you are interested in speaking to our team about developing, purchasing, or selling a Passive House building, please feel free to reach out to us at (212) 400-4838 or via e-mail at mike@AHBrooklyn.com

 

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Converted West Village Condos: 607 Hudson Street

November 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
607 Hudson Street - West Village condos

607 Hudson Street - West Village condos

607 Hudson Street is the newest converted condominium in the West Village, and it might be the most luxurious. Set to start selling this coming spring, 607 Hudson Street features ten planned units varying in size from 3,200 square feet to almost 10,000 square feet.

The building has been in the West Village for years, but it was most well-known around the neighborhood as a nursing home, which it had been since 1958. (Before that, the building had served as a hotel.) However, the building had become inadequate as a nursing home in recent years, and the owners of the building, who had also set up a new facility on West Houston Street, were looking to sell.

After being on the market for four years, 607 Hudson Street sold for $33 million. The new owners, FLANk Developers, had previously made their presence known with the Novare, an eight-unit condo on West 4th Street that was converted from a 150-year old church. Both this and their second development at 385 West 12th Street sold out quickly, so expect units at 607 Hudson Street to go fast.

To find out more information about this building, to schedule a private showing, or to speak with our team about your real estate needs, please e-mail keytothecity@akerlyre.com or call (212) 400-4838.  To view more listings on our neighborhood based map, search our NYC Sales Listings on Village Confidential.

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West Village Condos: The Printing House at 421 Hudson Street

November 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Printing House - 421 Hudson Street

The Printing House - 421 Hudson Street

Some condo conversion projects, like the St. Vincent’s Hospital plan or the Charles Street warehouse, are met with disapproval for the drastic changes they bring. The Printing House building at 421 Hudson Street is not one of those. Converted into a condominium in 1975, 421 Hudson Street has served as a residential building for more than thirty years.

The former printing building, which was one of the city’s first commercial-to-residential conversions, has been home to rental apartments for some time, but new owners purchased the building for $70 million with the intention of converting 421 Hudson Street into luxury condominiums. The building made headlines briefly after a bidder for the building filed a lawsuit against the former owner, Mountbatten Equities, claiming that the seller was not listening to their bid in good faith. (The Wall Street Journal has a summary of that controversy as far as it’s been reported here.)

In the meantime, renovations are planned for 421 Hudson Street. The current rental units will be vacated and re-designed as condo units. (The current size for a one-bedroom in the building is 750 square feet, so expect that to get bigger for the conversion.) Common areas, such as the building courtyard and the lobby, will also be renovated. The lawsuit is not expected to interrupt the conversion process.

Printing House rooftop pool

Printing House rooftop pool

Earlier this year, Equinox purchased and renovated the luxury, private gym located in the building and now known as the Printing House by Equinox.  The facilities include sweeping skyline views from high floors, state-of-the-art equipment, and an extraordinary rooftop pool that opened earlier this year.

To schedule an appointment to view available apartments at 421 Hudson Street, please call us at (212) 400-4838 or e-mail keytothecity@AkerlyRE.com.  To view online listings of other property currently available in the neighborhood, please view our map of NYC Sales Listings.

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New Condos: Whitehall Storage Building at 150 Charles St.

November 12, 2011 by 1 Comment
150 Charles Street

150 Charles Street

One of the more recent trends among developers in the West Village is the “condo conversion,” where an existing building is rezoned and modified for residential use rather than torn down in favor of a completely different design. These West Village condos are unpopular with preservationists groups, but they’re appearing more and more in the neighborhood. St. Vincent’s Hospital is probably the most infamous example of this trend, but can be found further west in the village.

150 Charles Street is the site of what used to be the Whitehall Storage building. The site was, at the time, one of the largest undeveloped sites in the West Village. When it was purchased in 2007, local residents were fearful that the Whitehall Storage building, which has historic significance in the neighborhood, would be torn down. Instead, architects Cook + Fox planned a unique, fifteen-story design on top of the existing façade of the warehouse.

The predicted result would make 150 Charles Street unlike anything seen in the West Village before. The planned condo, named “the Watershed” by its developers Dirtworks, would have a series of waterfalls cascading from the roof to street level of the building. Currently, the site is in the early stages of development, so it’s too soon to tell if that plan will be adjusted.

One resident has been tracking the repurposing of the Whitehall Storage Building at this blog. The development has no projected finish date at this time.

To view listings in this or any other Manhattan or Brooklyn building, please call or e-mail us to schedule a private showing at (212) 400-4838 or keytothecity@akerlyre.com.

Filed Under: Building spotlight, Buyer information, Investor information, Land use news Tagged With: ,

NYC One of Few Markets to See Housing Price Appreciation

November 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Core Logic National Housing Prices

Core Logic National Housing Prices

According to a report released by Core Logic this week, national single family housing prices have declined on a year-over-year basis – but not in New York City.  Here, we experienced a 2.2% increase in prices from 9/10 – 9/11.  That increase reflected the effect of distressed sales on the marketplace.  With those sales excluded from the data, NYC posted a 2.9& year-over-year increase.

Nationwide, prices were down 4.1%.  That number reflects the persistent distress that has beset many markets.  Short sales and REO sales tend to weight the market down.  Had those been excluded, the national market was only down 1.1%.  This seems to suggest that the nation has largely reached the bottom of the market but many areas are still bouncing along it with little hope of appreciation in the near term.

Washington D.C. was the only other major market to post price increases (1%).

Filed Under: Buyer information, Investor information, Market data, Seller information

City Rethinks Re-Zoning of Village Schools, PS 41 and PS 3

November 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
PS 41 and PS 3

City Rethinks Re-Zoning of Village Schools, PS 41 and PS 3

We had previously reported on a proposal by the city’s Department of Education that would change the public school zoning structure in the Village. The plan would have eliminated the choice of public schools that residents have enjoyed for years. Currently, residents of the West Village, Greenwich Village, and the Meatpacking District had the option to send their children to P.S. 3 at 490 Hudson Street or P.S. 41 at 116 West 11th Street. Under the proposal, the district would be broken up, consigning West Village students to P.S. 3 and Greenwich Village students to P.S. 41.

Now, it looks as if the Department of Education is having second thoughts about these changes. The Tribeca Trib is reporting that the DOE is re-considering the plan after hearing grievances from TriBeCa residents, who would be forced to send their kids to P.S. 3 as a result of the re-zoning.

This comes as a result of the DOE’s attempt to remedy the overcrowding situation at TriBeCa’s P.S. 234 by dividing TriBeCa into north and south zones. Residents of the north zone would have to take their kids to school in the West Village, a distance that did not sit well with parents in TriBeCa.

Members of the district’s Community Education Council and Community Board 1 have spoken out against the proposal, which has proven vehemently unpopular with TriBeCa residents, and even the principal of P.S. 234 said that she doesn’t support the proposal wholeheartedly, though she still warned that waitlists for the school’s kindergarten could begin as early as next year unless the overcrowding situation is resolved.

The next zoning proposal is set to be issued at another CEC meeting this month. The date and location have yet to be determined.

Filed Under: Buyer information, Investor information, Kids, NYC news Tagged With: ,

220 East 7th Street to Become Lofts in the East Village

November 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
220 East 7th Street

220 East 7th Street

EV Grieve reports about some new plans in store for 220 East 7th Street. The building, which was sold in 2008 for a reported price of $3.2 million, is currently a 1901 four-story townhouse that Corcoran advertised as “an excellent opportunity to create an architectural dream home.”

Now, it seems that someone is going to turn 220 East 7th Street into that architectural dream home, as a sign in front of the building is advertising “Villa Capri,” a new collection of loft condominiums slated to be ready in late 2012. The sign is advertising “1,828 square foot full floor lofts” in the soon-to-be-former townhouse. The rendered photo also advertises full-length windows and balcony space as features of the new building.

As of right now, though, no work has even started on converting 220 East 7th Street, so the current proposed project as we know of it so far seems a little ambitious. Time will tell if the East Village is going to have an expensive new neighbor.

To view listings in this or any other Manhattan or Brooklyn building, please call or e-mail us to schedule a private showing at (212) 400-4838 or keytothecity@akerlyre.com.

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Plea for Designation of South Village Historic District

October 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
South Village Historic District

Proposed South Village Historic District

Local preservationists are now turning their attention to a portion of South Greenwich Village that they feel deserves to be preserved as landmarks. In a statement published on their blog, the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation made a case for the establishment of a South Village Historic District, arguing that the history and character of the neighborhood has to be protected from overeager developers.

Their issued report, which can be found in their blog post, makes a case similar to that of the historic district proposal in the East Village. Both neighborhoods were home to large immigrant communities in the mid-1800s, and a large number of the old tenement buildings in both neighborhoods are in excellent condition, given their age and how the city has changed. Moreover, the proposed South Village Historic District has great roots in arts and literature; the house on 132 MacDougal Street is supposedly where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, and local clubs like the Gaslight, the Blue Note, and the Bitter End fostered the growth of jazz and folk music in the city.

However, in recent years, some of these tenement buildings have been demolished for new developments. Other projects, like the new Children’s Aid Society development and NYU’s superblock project, pose a looming threat to residents who want to preserve the historical character of the proposed South Village Historic District.

The GVSHP is asking residents to petition lawmakers about this issue, but no hearings or official proposals have been announced at this time.

Filed Under: Buyer information, Land use news Tagged With:

Village Parents May Lose Choice Between P.S. 41 and P.S. 3

October 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
P.S. 41 in the West Village

P.S. 41 in the West Village

The Department of Education is thinking of undertaking a rezoning project that could drastically affect which West Village school parents send their children to. For years, parents in the neighborhood who chose to send their children to public school had the choice of two schools: P.S. 3 at 490 Hudson Street and P.S. 41 at 116 West 11th Street. This became a unique situation for West Village parents as they were in the only part of Manhattan zoned for two public schools.

Now, the Department of Education is looking over a plan that could eliminate that choice for West Village parents. Under the new zoning, West Village children would only be zoned for P.S. 3, while P.S. 41 would be zoned for Greenwich Village residents. Residents of the Meatpacking District would be zoned for P.S. 11 on 320 West 21st Street in Chelsea.

The Department of Education has stated that its purpose behind the rezoning is for space reasons. Both P.S. 3 and P.S. 11 have recently eliminated middle school expansions, which the DOE feels would allow more space for new students.

Residents, on the other hand, are less than receptive to this proposal. Community Board 2 chairperson Brad Hoylman issued a statement in support of the current state of affairs, arguing that any rezoning would be “traumatic” since “communities are built around schools.” He also argued that the DOE should take future schools, like Trinity Real Estate’s proposed school in Hudson Square or the school in the NYU superblock project, into consideration when making a final decision.

Community Board 2’s zoning committee will be hearing the rezoning proposal this Tuesday, October 11th. Residents with feedback can e-mail the Community Board at d2zoning@gmail.com.

Filed Under: Buyer information, Kids, NYC news, Tenant information Tagged With: ,
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