Cycle House: Pioneering Net-Zero Energy Affordable Housing in Washington DC

A new development is on the boards in DC that will be the city's first "certified" net-zero energy, affordable housing property.

Cycle House, an 18-unit building planned for 1520-1522 North Capitol Street NW (map), aims to break ground in September and achieve net-zero energy performance utilizing the Passive House building standard.

The development, from Urban Green and Heleos, will have studio to three-bedroom units for households earning between 30% and 60% median family income (MFI). Energy efficient features will include solar panels, high efficiency air-to-water heat pumps, and EPA water-sense fixtures and low-flow shower heads that help reduce water consumption by 30% or more compared to traditional apartment buildings.

The project, designed by Emotive Architecture, will also be constructed using modular super-insulated wall systems from Blueprint Robotics that offer a high performance building thermal envelope for the building.

If all goes according to schedule, Cycle House, which will have space for a restaurant on the ground floor, could deliver late next year.

Read the full Urban Turf article here.