Hook & Ladder Apartments | PHIUS+ 2015 Pre-Certified
Hook & Ladder Apartments provides 118 units of affordable housing in Northeast Minneapolis in two buildings, one of which is Passive House (PHIUS+ 2015) pre-certified, the other is standard affordable housing construction complying with Green Communities and Energy Star. Upgrades to the PHIUS building include enhanced insulation and windows, minimized thermal bridging, continuous ventilation with energy recovery, and air sealing to meet strict air-tightness testing. This results in a building that not only uses less energy, but is more comfortable and healthy for the people who live there.
Above: The three-story Green Communities building in the foreground is separated from the active railroad tracks by the five-story PHIUS Pre-Certified building in the background. Increased insulation and high-performance windows in the PHIUS building will reduce the sound transmission to building residents in units. Solar panels are visible. Photo copyright Newport Midwest.
Precipitate served as the Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC®) on the project, modeling energy consumption and working closely with the design team to ensure the project was designed to be cost-effective as well as certifiable.
This April 2018, the project received PHIUS+ 2015 Pre-Certification through the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). This makes it the first PHIUS Pre-Certified multifamily project in Minnesota, and one of a few of large projects in climate zone 6A. The apartments opened to residents in October 2019. The two buildings, side by side and with nearly identical floorplans, unit mixes and tenant population, will provide a cost benefits analysis of Passive House, both in initial construction costs and long-term energy and maintenance costs. Stay tuned for results of this study.
Project Team:
Developer: Newport Midwest LLC
Architect: LHB, Inc.
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Steen Engineering
Contractor: Frerichs Construction
PHIUS+ Verifier: EcoAchievers
Certified Passive House Consultant: Precipitate
Press:
Look-alike apartment buildings in northeast Minneapolis showcase new ideas in energy efficiency, Star Tribune, November 27, 2017
A New Multifamily Will Put Passive House Performance to the Test, Green Building Advisor, December 1, 2017
Hot Property: Workforce-priced apartments will replace industrial site in northeast Minneapolis, Star Tribune, March 16, 2018
Work begins on green affordable housing in Northeast, The Journal, June 26, 2018