The 11 Crown development team is seeking Passive House certification for three buildings to be located at its Meriden, CT site. The project consists of two primary archetypes; a multifamily 4-story, 63-unit apartment building and two sets of rowhouses containing a total of 18 townhomes.
The difference in building size and shape between these two distinct building types clearly illustrates that the increased density and internal heat gains of multifamily buildings help to reduce envelope requirements, making Passive House very feasible for dense, multifamily buildings. The multifamily apartment building will be constructed with double pane windows and R-10, R-30, and R-40 assemblies for the slab, wall and roof, respectively. In contrast the townhomes will be constructed with triple pane windows and R-20, R-40, and R-60 assemblies for the slab, wall and roof, respectively. The higher insulation levels in the townhomes are a result of the greater exterior surface area to volume ratio and a lower density of occupants, appliances and plug loads in the buildings resulting in fewer beneficial internal gains in the winter.