In March 2024 project features, Metropolis Magazine highlighted Chestnut Commons as a case study in successful passive house design for an affordable, mixed-use development.
Chestnut Commons is one of Dattner Architects’ recently completed projects that not only follows passive house principles but also provides housing to the formerly homeless and low-income individuals. In addition to the housing, the project integrates a Community Center in the base of the building, which includes a satellite campus for CUNY Kingsborough Community College, a food manufacturing incubator that provides job training, a social services center run by the Cypress Hills Local Development Corp, and a Brooklyn Federal Credit Union branch.
Sustainability and affordability are issues often dealt with separately—while in case of Chestnut Commons, the intent was to build a project that not only houses people in need but also works toward creating true affordability for the residents. Viewed through a broadened lens of environmental equity and recognizing that utility bills are one of the largest burdens on a household’s income, the Passive House design strategy significantly lowers the cooling and heating loads on the building – providing a direct synthesis of affordability and sustainability.
To read the full article:
This Brooklyn Multifamily Community Is Sustainable—and Affordable
