The city's second multi-family passive house dwelling will soon come to market. The six-story Bushwick building at 803 Knickerbocker Avenue will have 24 apartments open to disabled and low-income renters. Six of Knickerbocker Commons' apartments will be handicap accessible and eight units will be for people with incomes lower than 30 percent of the city's median income, NYDN reports. Through sustainable measure like the building's insulating and shading foam and stucco facade, a high-functioning ventilation system that retains warmth, and by harvesting solar energy, as noted by Bedford + Bowery, the building will use just 10 percent of the energy normally consumed by a building its size. Not only will energy bills in the building be low, so too will monthly rents: apartments will be priced between $600 and $1,100.
An affordable housing lottery gave preference to community district 4 residents up to 50 percent, says the NY Senate website. Leasing of the remaining units will begin later this month. The 29,705-square-foot, $8.5 million structure that has been in the works since 2009 was designed by passive house guru Chris Benedict of Architecture and Energy Limited, and financed by Ridgewood Bushwick, also behind The Mennonite, the city's first passive house multi-family building that was unveiled earlier this spring.
· Bushwick affordable passive house apartments nearly complete [NYDN]
· Eco-Friendly Affordable Housing? It's Actually Happening in Bushwick [B+B]
· Affordable Housing for Rent in Bushwick [NY Senate]