North America's Largest Passive House at 425 Grand Concourse Nears Completion; See Photos

By CityRealty Staff | From Future New York Saturday, December 18, 2021

Rendering of 425 Grand Concourse towering over Mott Haven (Dattner Architects)

Construction is nearly complete at 425 Grand Concourse, the second-largest Passive House development in the United States, after Sendero Verde underway in East Harlem. The 26-floor tower rises high above the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood and its confident and contemporary design makes it a worthy and significant skyline addition to the historically beleaguered neighborhood.

The project site is near the foot of the Bronx's greatest boulevard, the Grand Concourse, and is within walking distance to the Bronx Terminal Market, Yankee Stadium, and the 149th Street subway station serving the 2,4, and 5 lines. The slab-shaped, 290-foot-tall tower was designed by Dattner Architects and will accommodate 277 units of affordable housing. a medical facility, supermarket, community support space, and a new student services center for CUNY Hostos. A recent visit to the site shows that exterior work is just about complete, showing off an uplifting metal facade with operable picture windows, sun shading louvers that will offset solar heat gain, and a masonry base that respects the low-scale mixed-use character of the area.

The air-tight, highly-insulated façade is key to passing Passive House's rigorous standards.

Solar louvers wrapping around the buildings south-facing facades will help keep some apartments slightly cooler, offsetting summer electric bills.

A look at the project's Grand Concourse-facing podium and the too-often abysmal road conditions of the Bronx

The roof will have solar panels, mechanicals for the energy recovery system, and a landscaped roof deck.

The lower floors will host educational and medical facilities

Several hundred rental units are planned or under construction in the immediate area

The project's 30,000-square-foot site anchors the corner of Grand Concourse and East 144th Street. It was previously home to the landmarked Gothic-style P.S. 31 which was sadly torn down after being deemed structurally unsound after years of neglect by the city. In the summer of 2015, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) released an RFP where Trinity Financial and MBD Community Housing Corporation were ultimately selected to redevelop the site with mixed-income housing and community uses.

Encompassing 300,000-square-feet of space, the glistening tower will become the largest Passive House in the country when it opens in early 2022. Commendably, the building is expected to use 30 percent less energy than a building built through traditional construction methods. Aside from a highly-insulated, “airtight” envelope, there will be a vegetated roof deck, solar shading, solar panels, cogen power generation, and an energy recovery system, all resulting in reduced energy usage and lower utility bills.

Its 277 affordable apartments will be earmarked for low- and moderate-income families. They will feature individual tenant controls, energy-efficient appliances, and water savings fixtures. The project scope also includes a new, accessible walkway to connect Garrison Playground. The building stands high above its immediate area and is one of the tallest in the South Bronx. However taller and larger buildings are planned nearby on the Harlem River waterfront —most notably Brookfield Properties' "Bankside" development at 2401 Third Avenue and 101 Lincoln Avenue.

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New York City has dived headfirst into the Passive House movement, pushing forward many of the largest developments in the country to reach for the energy-saving standard. Also commendable is that many of the developments are mixed-income housing schemes spearheaded through public-private partnerships.

Earlier this year we updated you on the progress of two topped-out affordable housing developments seeking Passive House certification: the mixed-use Balton Commons in Harlem and the 655-unit Sendero Verde. The movement appears to be spreading beyond residential uses with the largest commercial office Passive House in the country proposed in Long Island City.