Newport Midwest saw an opportunity to transform the property into 118 units of affordable housing for the community. Household income limits apply and residents who qualify pay below market rent.
The development includes two buildings: One built to comply with Green Community requirements; the other to meet Passive House Institute U.S. (PH) certification standards. PH standards aim to make buildings 60 percent to 85 percent more energy efficient than conventional guidelines. The buildings have nearly identical floor plans, unit mix and tenant population.
PH standards call for an ultra-tight building that requires little energy for heating or cooling, as well as improved ventilation to improve air quality. An unbiased third party will study the environmental performance of the two buildings year-to-year, and Newport Midwest will share those results with the multi-family apartment building industry.
The passive building is the first affordable multi-family building of its kind in the Twin Cities’ climate zone built to PH certification standards. The goal is to realize up to 70 percent energy savings over buildings with traditional construction methods.
Using continuous insulation throughout its envelope to eliminate thermal bridging, the passive building’s envelope is extremely airtight to prevent loss of conditioned air and infiltration of outside air. In addition to being extremely energy efficient, other benefits include enhanced occupant comfort due to airtight construction and super insulation that eliminate drafts.
Superior air quality is achieved through a whole-building energy recovery ventilation system that provides a consistent supply of fresh air, without drafts, in a carefully controlled, airtight structure. Triple-glazed windows also provide an incredibly quiet interior.
The project’s passive building’s variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system shares energy across the entire building, reducing the need to use the heating or cooling systems on temperate spring and fall days.
LHB Architects, with Precipitate Architecture as the Passive House consultant, designed Hook & Ladder. Frerichs Construction is general contractor on the development.
