The Passive House (PH) building standard is the most stringent energy efficiency standard in the world. It is quickly being identified as one path to achieving the carbon reduction goals set forth by New York’s governor and NYC's mayor. Several affordable housing authorities in the US are currently including it or are preparing to include it as one of the sustainability options in their applications for funding. Steven Winter Associates, Inc. is the PH consultant on more than two dozen multi-family PH projects in the Northeast. These projects range in size from 3-story low-rise buildings to 33 story high-rise structures with between 30 and 352 units each. Markets range from affordable housing to high-end flats in NYC.

Achieving the stringent air tightness requirements of the PH standard requires careful coordination through all phases of design development and construction. In this presentation, the team will take you through the steps and tools necessary to meet these strict requirements. They will share successes and failures and make recommendations to help the audience reach the PH air tightness targets. The session will describe the necessity for integrated design, air barrier documents and detailed site inspections and will review testing tools and protocols.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the integrated design process and air barrier review required during the construction document development phase
2. Identify QA/QC strategies used to facilitate successful implementation of the air barrier system
3. Discuss testing procedures for use throughout construction in addition to final whole building blower door testing
4. Review common hurdles and successes experienced during construction by examining case studies.