Located in the Hunter’s Point Historic District in Long Island City, Queens, this project is an expansion to an existing 1881 townhouse designed by developers Root and Rust in the Neo-Grec Style. While the historic facade is largely in tact, the interior of the house, which was converted to a 3-family house in the 1960s, lost most of its historic detailing and will be completely gutted. The envelope is being retrofitted using EnerPHit certification guidelines, a stringent set of efficiency standards developed by the Passive House Institute for existing buildings. 

The rooftop addition was designed so as not to be visible from the street and the rear addition references the punched window openings of the original facade. The additions will be clad in wood siding, mimicking older clapboard style houses in the district. The envelope was carefully designed using the EnerPHit standards developed by the Passive House Institute. By improving insulation, reducing thermal bridging, and improving air tightness, the carefully detailed envelope is able to reduce energy consumption by up to 90% (see plan details below). The windows, which are triple-insulated, are highly efficient and provide R-values in excess of R-8. In addition to the envelope, the design of the mechanical system reduces the heat and cooling load of the building through the use of a ventilation system with a highly efficient heat recovery unit.