158 CLIFTON PLACE
LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
PROGRAM: Residential
TOTAL AREA: 4,000 SF
CLIENT: Alan Solomon
PARTNERS: Right Environments, Sawkill Lumber, Passive House Academy
This rowhouse was gut-renovated to the Passive House EnerPHit standard and supplemented with a PV Solar Array to achieve near Net Zero energy capability.
The building is a wood frame structure, which is rare in New York City. Some of the typical Passive House details used in other projects needed to be modified to account for different thermal and moisture conditions of the structure. As a retrofit, special consideration was required to air seal the building. The firm developed air sealing details specifically for the project, and followed up with contractor training and inspections to ensure proper installation.
The project used recycled materials throughout. On the front façade, a reinterpretation of the historic vernacular is clad in blackened ship-lap siding. On the rear façade, wooden slats of recycled Ipe create a modern rainscreen that offers a stark contrast the front façade, and showcase the diversity of reclaimed wood. The roof insulation is recycled polyiso, and the reclaimed wood will be used throughout the interior.