International Passive House Open Days at Engine 16
Once home to the Metropolitan Steam Fire Engine Company No. 16 in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood, the historic firehouse building that came to be known as Engine 16 was converted into a church in 1974. From then on, the building was only partially used and fell into disrepair. A full-scale, Passive House certified adaptive reuse renovation converted the space into a multifamily residence with a community facility on the ground floor.
Three years ago, Engine 16 took part in the International Passive House Open Days, when we opened its doors for a look inside an under-construction adaptive reuse passive house.
Now, we are excited to welcome the community back into the building, to see the completed project. Engine 16 is truly a special project that lights the path forward to widespread deep energy retrofits of buildings throughout New York City.
Creating interesting multilevel spaces unlocked the potential of this adaptive reuse. Our design team collaborated with the client, contractor, and artisans like Atlantic Stairs to create a final product that integrates many of the building's original, unique firehouse elements and building materials with modern amenities and finishes.
Through open collaboration between the development and design teams, the general contractors, engineers, consultants, and Passive House certifiers, Engine 16 respects, celebrates, and extends the building's historic character while creating an energy-efficient, high-performance building. The juxtaposition of old and new, along with the light that pours into the spaces creates warm, inviting, and thanks to passive house design, healthy interior environments.
We are excited to open the doors and share the finished result. We also hope that Engine 16 can become a model for Passive House retrofits of existing buildings, in New York City and beyond, by demonstrating the possibilities of energy efficiency and carbon reductions in cities.
Sign up for the tour here!
International Passive House Open Days - Engine 16
Come visit this adaptive reuse project, which rehabilitated a former firehouse into a multifamily building with a community facility.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-passive-house-open-days-engine-16-tickets-925441539557NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence
As we wrap up this exciting project, we want to take the time to thank the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Buildings of Excellence program. We were lucky to be recognized in Round 1 of the Buildings of Excellence competition, and without the support of NYSERDA, this project would not have been possible.
