How the Phoenicia Library Came to be the First Passive House Library in the USA Background
In March 2011, a fire caused by faulty wiring destroyed the contents and damaged the structure of the two-story 1800-square foot building home to the Phoenicia Library. The community rallied and the Board of Trustees and Director began evaluating possible options for the future.
“After the fire, we investigated all our options: rebuilding, purchasing new property within the hamlet, moving to Route 28. It became clear that remaining at our Main Street location was by far our best and only option. Our town-wide survey told us you felt, by overwhelming majority, it was essential that we remain on Main Street, and our insurance stipulations make it the only option from a financial perspective…” Kurt Boyer, Past Library Board President and Building Committee Chair, Phoenicia Library Newsletter Fall 2012.
Having decided to rebuild at 48 Main, the library began soliciting bids from local builders. Harmony Builders, Woodstock, made a persuasive case for rebuilding according to Passive House standards. Harmony Builder is certified North American and international Passive House consultants.
Although the one-time construction cost was approximately 10-15% higher at the time, the estimated long-range savings in annual fuel costs was a strong incentive to adopt Passive House design principles. The library also was able to take advantage of construction grants that gave preference to projects using sustainable methods.
Passive House costs are changing relatively fast. Costs have improved in the last 5 years due to codes changing and more Passive House components being available, and experience of builders/architects.
What are the benefits of Passive House Design Criteria?
- Dramatically reduced heating and cooling costs
- Healthy indoor air quality from reliable fresh air that can be filtered
- Comfortable interior spaces even at windows and perimeter
- Resiliency during a power outage
- Improved noise separation from exterior/sound control
The combined effect of the insulation plus the efficiency of the heating and ventilation systems makes our interior environment qualitatively more comfortable because of the fresh air and absence of street noise, while at the same time, we consume less fossil fuel. In the years since we reopened in 2015, we have saved approximately 80% of the fuel costs based on our use before the fire.
What is your certification?
Since the library was a rebuild, not a totally new construction, it qualified as a Passive House retrofit project. Our certification shows that we meet the EnerPhit standards of Passive House International. Not only did we meet the standards they require, we exceeded by more than twice the air leakage requirements. In the entire building, the total amount of air leakage is equivalent to a 2-3 inch hole.
How does the Phoenicia Library Passive House certification fit into the larger Climate Change conversations?
With the threat of climate change to the global environment, there are some strategies that will help safeguard our homes, our communities and our country. People are working on them every day. Passive House is one of these strategies. Steps like this taken on a local level, multiplied throughout communities, make a difference.
The Phoenicia Library incorporates both the adaptation of passive house and the flood mitigation required by FEMA and the Town of Shandaken building code. Because the hamlet of Phoenicia is in the floodplain, the building was floodproofed up to four feet with moisture barrier and anchored to concrete that filled the basement. All the services are in the attic. The Phoenicia Library is a model of an affordable local energy efficient project and example of sustainable practices suitable for residential construction. It is an option for new construction or a major renovation that is common in Europe where as of 2010 an estimated 25,000+ Passive House structures have been built. Most are located in Germany and Austria, others in various countries worldwide.
Some Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the details of your walls and insulation and how do they compare to normal construction and building codes?
- Wall Cross Section – 1 hour burn rated
- Total wall is 11 3/8 inches thick
- ½ inch air space
- ½ inch gypsum sheathing fire rated
- 2×4 framing cavity filled with closed cell water based spray foam
- 5/8 inch fireproof sheet rock
- 4 inches rigid foil-faced polyisocyanurate insulation on inside of walls and ceiling eliminates thermal bridging Furring strips screwed to 2x4s
- Fireproof sheetrock
| R Values Comparison | Passive House | Code Built Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | R100 | R38 |
| Floor | R60 | R30 |
| Walls | R50 | R21 |
| Blower Door Test | 0.4 ACH50 | 3.0 ACH50 |
What is the difference between Passive House and Passive and Active Solar?
Passive solar uses the sun to heat your house and has been practiced since ancient times. Active solar uses solar panels to harness the sun’s energy.
Passive House is based on the principles below.
(1) Employs continuous insulation throughout its entire envelope without any thermal bridging. (2) The building envelope is extremely airtight, preventing infiltration of outside air and loss of conditioned air.
(3) Employs high-performance windows (double or triple-paned windows depending on climate and building type) and doors -solar gain is managed to exploit the sun’s energy for heating purposes in the heating season and to minimize overheating during the cooling season. (4) Uses some form of balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation. (5) Uses a minimal space conditioning system.
For more information on Passive House building in Europe and the US, please visit: http://passiv.de/en http://www.phius.org
What is the origin of Passive House Design?
The Passivhaus standard originated from a conversation in May 1988 between Bo Adamson of Lund University, Sweden, and Wolfgang Feist of the Institute for Housing and the Environment, Darmstadt, Germany. Later, their concept was further developed through a number of research projects,
In September 1996, the Passivhaus-Institut was founded in Darmstadt to promote and control Passive House standards.
Passive House Institute US Standard (PHIUS) was established in 2015 to evaluate US based construction taking into consideration the variations in climate in the US.
More info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house
What is the difference between Passive House certification and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification?
Both certification systems evaluate the performance of the building, but they use different measures.
The Passive House standard requires that the building fulfill stringent requirements for super insulation, advanced window technology, air tightness, ventilation, and space heating.
LEED rating systems consider six credit categories: “Sustainable Sites”, “Water Efficiency”, “Energy and Atmosphere”, “Materials and Resources”, “Indoor Environmental Quality”, and “Innovation in Design”. There are four levels of LEED certification (certified, silver, gold, platinum). Projects are evaluated based on a system of credits that allocate points “based on the potential environmental impacts and human benefits of each credit.” These are weighed using the environmental impact categories of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental
Impacts and the environmental-impact weighting scheme developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design
Contractor: Harmony Builders, LLC, PO Box 366, Woodstock, NY 12498 www.harmonybuilders.com
Architect: John Wasylyk at North Engineers and Design Associates, 1404 Route 28, W. Hurley, NY 12401. www.northengineers.com
This case study of the First Passive House certified library in the United States was prepared by Beth Waterman, Phoenicia Library Trustee.
If you have any questions or would like to consult with us about your home or institutional design, please contact Director Elizabeth Potter at director@phoenicialibrary.org
Please click here if you would like a PDF version of this information.