Applying Passive House Principles to 160 Units of Affordable Housing - Lessons Learned

Fairfax Gardens was a 150 unit dilapidated public housing development in Taunton, MA. The THA selected Trinity Financial to be the developer, owner and operator of a 160 unit replacement program on two sites. The Hope VI Program requires a very competitive funding application that includes strong sustainability incentives measured using Leed and/or Enterprise Green community checklist criteria. The Fairfax Gardens funding application was successful in part because it committed to very aggressive energy conservation measures. To meet these commitments, the development team had to work collaboratively through the design process to develop systems and details that would produce one of the most energy efficient affordable housing developments in the country. Emphasis was put on simplicity for operation and maintenance, affordability, constructability at scale, dependability, and very low energy bills for residents. In addition, the project had to negotiate the myriad of regulations governing allowable rents and utility charges.

Session Chair(s): 

Event Time: 

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - 1:30pm to 3:00pm

Room / Location: 

Harborview 3

CEU Information: 

1.5 AIA, BPI, GBCI Continuing Education Units Available.

Learning Objectives:

Session Documents: