PROJECT.

Muncy Greene

Can Passive House elevate senior housing?

This affordable senior housing development used Passive House and Enterprise Green Communities standards to improve quality of life for residents.

Problem

Muncy Greene is an affordable senior housing development consisting of 60 semi-detached units and a community space. The central challenges were to meet ambitious Passive House targets in a cost-effective way, to find synergies between PHIUS+ and EGC to streamline compliance with the two standards, and to navigate a sequential construction schedule that involved numerous site visits and testing trips. In addition, the connected garages added compartmentalization challenges.

Solution

Identify synergies.

Working closely with the design team, we identified strategies that would provide multiple benefits: supporting compliance with both PHIUS and EGC standards while also providing tangible benefits to residents in the form of improved comfort, indoor air quality, and acoustics.

Maximize value.

Creative value engineering enabled the project to meet its ambitious goals cost-effectively. For example, insulating the garages provided a thermal buffer that allowed for value engineering other areas of the assembly, providing a net cost savings.

Provide proactive verification.

Sol's frequent, early inspections also proved essential. Feedback on the first units led to smoother construction on those built later. Infrared envelope inspections proved invaluable in maintaining high quality insulation installation.

The Impact

PHIUS+ 2015 Certified and built to the Enterprise Green Communities Standard


64%
Reduction in energy use vs reference home

78%
Reduction in envelope air leakage vs typical home

24%
Reduction in water use

100%
Of stormwater managed on-site