TCI of NY Commissions First Headquarters in the Nation to Achieve Passive House Design Assurance

Innovative Project Combines Efforts of BarlisWedlick Architects, Crawford & Associates, The Levy Partnership

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The planned TCI of NY Corporate Headquarters is the first commercial building in the United States to achieve Passive House Design Stage Certification.

NEW YORK (06/13/2013)(readMedia)-- BarlisWedlick Architects is pleased to announce the planned TCI of NY Corporate Headquarters is the first commercial building in the United States to achieve Passive House Design Stage Certification. This first-of-its-kind design was the accomplishment of The Levy Partnership (building technology consultant, New York City), Crawford & Associates (structural engineer, Hudson, N.Y.) and both the New York City and Hudson offices of BarlisWedlick Architects.

Passive House design standards require the lowest level of energy consumption of any building code worldwide, targeting a 75 percent reduction in energy use without the aid of alternative energy sources such as solar panels.

"On assessing the design and specifications detailed in the report submitted by The Levy Partnership on behalf of BarlisWedlick Architects and TCI, we have verified that once completed and approved the building will perform as a Quality Approved Passive House," said Tomas O'Leary, co-founder and managing director of Passive House Academy Ltd.

A Quality Approved Passive House will use no more than 120 kWh of electricity per square meter (about 11.2 kWh per square foot), Mr. O'Leary said.

"We are incredibly proud of having had the opportunity to conclusively prove that the Passive House Standards can be successfully achieved in the United States in commercial applications," said Alan Barlis, the New York City-based partner and co-owner of BarlisWedlick Architects. "This building will use a tiny fraction of the energy for heating and cooling of a conventional commercial building without the aid of any on-site energy source such as solar, geothermal, or biofuel."

"Now that TCI has allowed us to break the design barrier for Passive House standards in a commercial building, we are in a better position to advocate that these Passive House design principles should be in the toolbox of every architect regardless of construction type," said Dennis Wedlick, the Hudson-based partner and co-owner of BarlisWedlick Architects. "The knowledge that we acquired and the design techniques we tested with this corporate headquarters is an example for builders across the nation."

Mr. Barlis and Mr. Wedlick will discuss their successful design of the TCI headquarters with the American Institute of Architects at its national convention in Denver on June 20.

"A Passive House design is an integrated design approach to construction that specifies that all architectural details create a thermal bridge free envelope, which means that the interior of the building is thermally isolated from the exterior," said Dan Proper, vice president and project manager for Crawford & Associates. "BarlisWedlick's design calls for a conventional prefabricated structural steel shell that has been only slightly modified to achieve the remarkable energy performance required by the Passive House standards. This demonstrates that significant energy conservation using the Passive House holistic approach to architecture and engineering is possible in not only residential construction but also in commercial construction."

"By investing in Passive for their corporate headquarters, TCI has set a standard for commercial construction across the nation," said Emanuel Levy, president of The Levy Partnership. "We fully expect the TCI offices to establish a new standard for commercial building performance and a model for sustainable design."

TCI owner Brian Hemlock approached BarlisWedlick in 2011 with a request for an energy-efficient new headquarters for his company. Mr. Hemlock said the Passive House principles are consistent with TCI's mission of resource recovery and conservation.

TCI dismantles transformers and other electrical equipment and prepares the materials for recycling, minimizing waste that is sent to landfills.

"When Dennis talked to me about Passive House design, I was immediately intrigued by the possibility and gave it my full support." Mr. Hemlock said. "The upfront investment will be more than offset by long-term energy savings, and all of us at TCI are hopeful that other businesses looking at new construction will explore the opportunity to embrace Passive House design."