ICON’s Passive House Distillery Project at ABX
ICON’s Michelle Apigian, Associate and Richard O’Dwyer, Principal, were pleased to join James Petersen of Petersen Engineering at ABX to present the Passive House Building Standard and the building of the Distillery, soon to be the first multifamily Passive House building in New England. The 28-unit first phase, now under construction in South Boston, is expected to be complete in June, 2016. The presentation provided an overview of the evolution of the standard and the critical design and construction principals that are employed to radically reduce energy consumption and produce a super-efficient, cost-effective building that will be affordable to operate, healthy and comfortable to live in, and highly resilient.
During the lively discussion that followed, it was exciting to see that the Passive House Building Standard is clearly gaining attention and momentum. With a number of projects in design and under construction around the country and accrual of more practical experience and metrics, the next project becomes increasingly feasible and cost-effective. Policy makers have begun to recognize this, prioritizing Passive House projects or Net Zero projects, for which the Passive House standard provides an optimal foundation. The new PHIUS+ Standards, which integrate climate specificity and cost-optimization, should further advance Passive House adoption and propel it into the mainstream.
For more information on the Distillery, please visit our website at www.iconarch.com. For additional information on the Passive House Building Standard, visit www.phius.org.