Ultragreen Apartments Using Passive House Design Planned For Capitol Hill
Nicholson Kovalchick Architects is planning a Capitol Hill development called the 11th & Republican Passive House Apartments. As the name implies, it will use the passive house technique, which involves a highly insulated structure to trap heat and reduce energy costs—passive house designs can cut heating and cooling loads by 90%. The firm, founded by the husband-and-wife team of Brandon Nicholson and Shanna Kovalchick, will design and develop the property.
The project will involve the expansion of the house at 505 11th Ave E, which the developers own, and construction of a four-story building next to it, for a total of 20 apartment units. It's probably the first passive house retrofit in Seattle, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports. The goal is that the structure's 2,500 SF solar panel array will generate all the electricity the tenants need. [PSBJ]
