Handel Architects Designs World’s Tallest Passive House at Cornell Tech Campus
Alumni
In 2011, Cornell University and partner the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology won New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s highly publicized competition to build a new, 12-acre applied science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island. The new Cornell Tech campus is an innovative project in mission, architecture, and planning, with the world’s tallest passive house building at its center.
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Handel Architects, the firm of Gary Handel (B.Arch. ’78) and partner Blake Middleton (B.Arch. ’78, M.Arch. ’81), designed the 26-story residential tower that is now under construction. It will be the first residential high-rise in the world to meet the “passive house” code—the strict international building standards that drastically reduce energy consumption while creating a healthier and more comfortable living environment for a fraction of typical energy costs. Handel and Middleton presented project details at the annual L. Michael Goldsmith Lecture at AAP NYC in April. The tower, a 270,000-square-foot area of 325 units, 500 beds, and 10,600 square feet per floor, has a core “big idea”—a thermal wrap for the entire building that is 10 times tighter than a standard building. Meeting all of the passive house code requirements and compliancy was new to the entire design/build team and a challenge, the architects admitted. For example, ducted fresh air and a heat recovery system are necessary, with proper solar orientation. A refrigerant flow system supplies tiny bursts of heating and cooling to terminal units located in the individual rooms, and the architects are working with HVAC manufacturers on another innovation—to dramatically reduce the size of these units to fit the plan. Seventyseven percent of heat that is exhausted to the roof is recovered, and the ducted fresh air is sent through a series of HEPA filters, so the quality is essentially better than what comes in through the windows. Prefabricated panels that are story-height and 14" to 16" thick will clad the entire building, complete with windows, sheathing, and insulation, creating an impermeable vapor barrier. Facing Manhattan, the exterior facade opens to reveal a louver system that extends the entire height of the building, providing an enclosed exterior space where the heating and cooling equipment live, allowing the building system to breathe. Sealing and joining windows and panels ensure that the building meets passive house standards, as spot checks and field tests of the mock-up are conducted along the way. The project is a joint venture partnership between the Hudson Companies, the Related Companies, and Cornell University. Says Handel, “We are proud of Cornell for undertaking this and pleased with our role in the project.” “I think what’s really unique about this building and what we’re able to do in terms of achieving change is to act as an example in New York City, in development, and as an institution,” says Jennifer Klein, assistant director for strategic capital partnerships at Cornell Tech. “This building will shine as an example for future development, of how Cornell Tech wants to act in the larger economy in New York and other urban areas.” As he announced the building’s opening in August 2017, Middleton joked, “I’m still trying to figure out how to get the chimes from McGraw Tower on top.”AAP 1
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A recent photo of the construction on Roosevelt Island shows the Passive House on the left. photo / Barr & Barr
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From left: Blake Middleton (B.Arch. ’78, M.Arch. ’81) and Gary Handel (B.Arch. ’78) lectured at AAP NYC in April. photo / Zachary Tyler Newtown (M.Arch. ’10)
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Prefabricated panels are installed on the Passive House this spring. photo / Field Conditions