Verdant Passive House, St. Paul, MN

Verdant delivers 82 income-restricted apartment homes to the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul.

Verdant is the first pre-certified, mid-rise, Passive House multifamily building of this construction type in this climate zone. This design follows principles that are geared towards maximizing energy efficiency and can make a building up to 90% more energy-efficient than a standard building.

Passive House standards are used to design houses and buildings that are heated and cooled through passive means like solar panels, heat recovery air exchangers, hot water recovery, insulation, and more. To achieve Passive House certification, buildings must reach multiple standards that incorporate the five main principles of Passive House design, which include: high performance, triple-pane fiberglass windows; continuous, super-insulated envelope; airtight construction; no thermal bridge; and mechanical heat recovery. Benefits include excellent air quality, even temperature distribution, lower utility bills, and reduced noise levels.