There's a Passive House trend sweeping Brooklyn, according to CBS New York. The story focuses on The Alloy Block, a five-building development that will span an entire city block in Downtown Brooklyn near Atlantic Terminal and Barclay's Center. The mixed use development aspires to be the "most sustainable block in Brooklyn," and is being constructed in two phases. Once complete, the five buildings will include two new schools, office space, retail, and approximately 1,000 units of housing. It will also consist of both new construction and the adaptive reuse of two historic buildings.

The first phase saw the construction of 505 State Street, which is the first all-electric skyscraper in New York City. The second phase, which is now beginning, will see the construction of One Third Avenue. At 700 feet and 63 stories, it aims to become the tallest Passive House building in the world, according to David McCarty, vice president of Alloy Development. 

However, the story isn't just about The Alloy Block. CBS spoke with the Accelerator's own Michael Ingui about the benefits of living in a Passive House and the Accelerator's work. "It's basically kind of a free online place where people can learn how to do passive houses, a knowledge accelerator. And it's a place where a whole bunch of other groups and architects go every week to show projects and solutions," Ingui told CBS.

You can read the story here (there's video too). Additionally, you can read about how several "conservation experts," including Chris Magwood, Timothy Lock, Graham Irwin, and others, are making their homes more efficient in an article published in the Wall Street Journal last week.