Accessibility meets Passive House: Multifamily Building Design
With few exceptions, newly constructed multifamily housing in the US is subject to stringent accessible design and construction requirements. What happens when these heavily regulated buildings rise to the challenge of Passive House design? Theresa D’Andrea, Senior Accessibility Consultant, and Joanna Grab, Senior Sustainability Consultant, thoroughly investigate the intersection of accessible and Passive House design for multifamily buildings. They explore how design changes late in the construction documents phase impact compliance with accessible and Passive House requirements. Discussion will address the impact of façade and assembly adjustments and interior layout changes in buildings subject to NYC specific regulations. They go over the design and operational items that must be considered to reduced energy use and at the same time ensure compliance with accessibility requirements. Finally, this discussion takes a deep dive into thresholds and windows; two critical fenestration features that impact accessibility compliance and Passive House design.
Learning objectives:
- Identify ways accessible and Passive House design can complement one another.
- Understand importance aspects of accessible design.
- Understand the importance of design changes as they relate to accessible Passive House MF design.
- List accessibility compliance and Passive House challenges related to window and doors.
Credit: AIA HSW credit available