Trinity Financial is nearing the end of construction of the largest Passive House project in construction for North America to date.
The 26-story, 310,000 s/f development at 425 Grand Concourse is over 75 percent completed and is expected to open in the Spring of 2022.
Designed by Dattner Architects, built by Monadnock Construction and developed by Trinity in partnership with MBD Community Housing Corporation and New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the development represents a historic milestone in the evolution of Passive House building technology.
Its design, construction, and operation as a very low or zero carbon emitting multifamily building has earned Trinity and its partners a Buildings of Excellence Award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Developer of the Year for 2020 from the New York Housing Conference.
In addition to providing high-quality resident amenities such as an outdoor recreation deck at the 25th floor, two resident lounges, fitness room, laundry rooms, bike storage, and a landscaped roof terrace at the third floor, 425 Grand Concourse will serve as an anchor for the neighborhood and promote street activity and commerce at the prominent corner of Grand Concourse and East 144th Street.
The non-residential components will consist of a neighborhood supermarket, a community health center, a cultural center and a 30,000 s/f educational facility for CUNY Hostos, a community college serving the South Bronx.
“Our rapid progress on 425 Grand Concourse is exciting to watch each day, and it is truly energizing the entire Mott Haven community in the Bronx,” said Thomas Brown, Vice President of Development for Trinity Financial, who oversees the company’s New York operations.
“The residents who will occupy the 277 units of affordable housing will form the heart and soul of what we are creating. We’re extremely happy to be working with our partner MBD, the City of New York, our local elected officials and the residents of Mott Haven to bring this project together.
Doreen M. Harris, president and CEO of NYSERDA, commented, “High performing building projects like 425 Grand Concourse are helping to transform the New York’s building sector as we move toward creating a carbon-neutral building stock in support of Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading greenhouse gas emission reductions goal.”
Designed by Dattner Architects to meet or exceed Passive House efficiency standards, the building will consume significantly less energy than a conventional housing project of the same size and scope. This is accomplished through the use of high efficiency building systems combined with an air-tight building envelope with minimal thermal bridges, as well as an energy-recovery ventilation that tempers incoming fresh air with the embodied energy of the outflowing exhaust air.
“A large multi-family development such as 425 Grand Concourse is the ideal project for employing Passive House design, because the ratio between envelope size and enclosed building volume is very favorable,” said Christoph Stump, Vice President of Design and Construction for Trinity Financial in New York. “Energy-recovery ventilation, heat-recovery heating and cooling and the added work that goes into creating an air-tight building with minimal thermal bridges adds relatively little cost to a project. However, when you look at the benefit of reduced utility bills, increased tenant comfort and building quality, the advantages are undeniable.”
The 277 apartments at 425 Grand Concourse will be earmarked for low- and moderate-income families. All units feature individual tenant climate controls, energy-efficient appliances, and water savings fixtures. The Passive House design and building systems will enable each unit’s living space and bedrooms to receive filtered fresh air to improve comfort and air quality.
