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A TOWERING A Ken Soble building in Hamilton becomes world’s largest residential Passive House Retrofit
By Erin Ruddy Once an aging seniors’ residence with an uncertain future, the Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton, Ontario, has officially become the world’s largest residential structure retrofitted to the Passive House EnerPHit standard. The 18-storey, 146-unit affordable housing development underwent extensive upgrades that have since led to a remarkable 94 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 91 per cent reduction in heating energy demand. At its peak, the total energy required to heat and cool one unit in the building would be equivalent to the energy needed to power three incandescent light bulbs.
