passive house

Cellar floor delivered

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While most of the house will be reclaimed wood flooring, the cellar is a bed of concrete with an R-value closer to a screen door than foil faced Polyisocyanurate. The cellar is below the Passive House insulating barrier, which starts just above, on the ceiling.

Squibb history: The first motor driven mobile mixer entered the construction scene in 1916 – a small but consequential development of the concrete jungle. It was invented by Stephen Stepanian – and the modern mixer doesn’t appear to have changed much from his original vision. It replaced the horse-pulled mixer that worked with wooden paddles to turn the mix. It was slow work until machines able to haul tons of wet concrete were developed, especially in the building boom after WWII. Photo: Blueline Construction staff transport wheel barrow loads of the mix to the opening of the cellar.

Working against old walls

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A first encounter in the Passive House renovation –  old party walls rise like a funhouse mirror. Here, Jim Hartin and Sal Rodriguez of Blueline Construction work on an approach. The painted line in the floor joist (upper left image) was marked in a direct vertical line at each floor, providing a consistent reference relative to the changing distance to the party wall.

Winter Woodpecker

woodpecker_pinetreeA Woodpecker sounds like an unlikely sighting in the city, considering the hazard of pecking buildings and street lights. But a small Woodpecker – a ‘Downy Woodpecker’ is our guess – was spotted in the back yard; and based on the pattern of holes running up the truck of the Pine tree, its been a long time visitor. It’s not an Ivory Billed in the Bayou, but a novelty nonetheless, in the city.

Get the Asbestos Out

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Danny O’Connell of OMC Construction takes a roof sample that indicates asbestos within one of the layers – needing removal in advance of the general construction.

Squib history: The chrysotile used for asbestos was first mined in Canada during the 1870’s – and there’s actually a town called called Asbestos, Quebec. The material would become widely used for insulation, drywall, flooring, roofing, ship building and furniture. As early as the first century AD, Greek and Roman slaves had become seriously ill after working with asbestos in weaving. Like switching off coal in favor of solar, insulation has had a long way to go towards removing toxicity and improving insulating quality.

Castrucci Architect on WNYC’s ‘Net Zero City’

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Paul Castrucci Architect (PCA) was featured on WNYC. The story was an intro to high energy efficiency, and it’s challenge for a city of high rises. Passive House design, nonetheless, is attainable for the understory (1-5 story bldgs) on the city’s skyline, as explained by Urban Green Council Director Russell Unger. Photo: (951 Pacific Bklyn, Paul Castrucci Architect). Online link to story.