The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Commons, our most recently completed affordable housing development, won the Affordable Housing category and received an honorable mention in the Multifamily category at the 2017 Passive Projects Competition. The competition was hosted by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS), and winners were announced during the 12^th Annual North American Passive House Conference on September 28, 2017. Each year, the competition recognizes outstanding passive building projects in several categories, including Single Family, Multifamily, Affordable and Commercial. Passive building refers to a set of design principles used to achieve a rigorous level of energy efficiency. Competition entries were judged on “their strength in the following categories: energy performance, design, craftsmanship, use of healthy materials, level of difficulty for the given climate and site, and cost effectiveness of the affordable projects.”

Weinberg Commons became an official PHIUS+ certified project earlier this year, making it the first multifamily retrofit apartment building in the country to be certified by PHIUS. In developing Weinberg Commons, we rehabilitated three 50-year-old buildings in Southeast DC through a deep energy retrofit, including super-insulation, and air-tight building shell and balanced energy recovery ventilation, which leads to extraordinary reductions in energy use and carbon emissions. Solar panels further reduce energy costs. We are able to pass on these utility savings and lower energy costs to our residents.

The building is the result of a unique development approach, sophisticated financing and cutting edge design, and addresses the District’s demand for housing affordable to those earning below 40 percent area median income (AMI). We are thrilled to see it recognized for its affordability and energy efficiency.

We thank everyone involved in the development of Weinberg Commons, especially ZA+D, Passive to Positive, Hamel Builders, Inc. and Conway Energy.

For more information on the 2017 Passive Projects Competition, click here.