Passive House Triple Decker
Project Summary
In 2023, we completed construction on 2 new buildings in Lewiston, at 198 Blake Street and 84 Walnut Street. The building styles are consistent with the classic New England triple decker. The buildings are nearly identical except for minor adjustments to the site plan and unit programming.
These buildings are the first certified Passive House buildings in Androscoggin County, Maine. Passive House homes typically require only 1/3 of the energy to operate per square foot as compared to a regular home in Maine. They fit on conventional 100'x100' lot (w/parking) and a 50'x100' lot (w/o parking) in the Downtown Neighborhood Residential (DNR) zone of Lewiston, and meet all existing zoning and planning board requirements. A lot size of at least 100'x120' is required to accommodate both off-street parking and a backyard. The design was created through a partnership between Bild Architecture and the Raise-Op Housing Cooperative.
In 2023, we completed construction on 2 new buildings in Lewiston, at 198 Blake Street and 84 Walnut Street. The building styles are consistent with the classic New England triple decker. The buildings are nearly identical except for minor adjustments to the site plan and unit programming.
- Each building includes 9 residential apartments, 1bedroom, 2bedroom, and 4bedroom units.
- The property at 84 Walnut Street also includes 2 offices, community room, and bathroom.
- Each unit has heating, cooling, dishwasher, in-unit washer dryers, and mechanical air ventilation. The 4bedroom units each have 2 bathrooms per apartment.
- Each first floor unit can be accessible and offer both an entryway directly outside, as well as into the lobby of the building.
- Each building is served by a central lobby with accessible front and rear access, as well as a single interior stairway.
- Each building has 10 off-street vehicle parking spaces, sheltered bicycle parking spaces, backyard, outdoor seating, solar window awnings, and decorative brackets below the roof eaves.
- The buildings are stick frame construction with double-stud walls, insulated with blown-in fiberglass, which allows for high levels of thermal and sound insulation, while also allowing the outside wall to "breathe" with regards to moisture.
- The windows are triple-glazed and operated with a handle that makes proper closure clear and easy for residents.
- Heating and cooling is provided by in-unit heat pumps with backup wall-mounted electrical heaters.
- Hot water is provided by a central natural gas system.
- Fresh air is supplied to every bedroom with one small ERV system per apartment, and air is exhausted from kitchens and bathrooms.
- Storm water runoff is managed by an onsite rain garden.
- Rooftop solar power provides approximately the equivalent of 50% of the building's energy needs.
- The mechanical room and electrical closet are accessed from the lobby.
- There is no basement or other on-site storage. Building is constructed on an insulated slab.
These buildings are the first certified Passive House buildings in Androscoggin County, Maine. Passive House homes typically require only 1/3 of the energy to operate per square foot as compared to a regular home in Maine. They fit on conventional 100'x100' lot (w/parking) and a 50'x100' lot (w/o parking) in the Downtown Neighborhood Residential (DNR) zone of Lewiston, and meet all existing zoning and planning board requirements. A lot size of at least 100'x120' is required to accommodate both off-street parking and a backyard. The design was created through a partnership between Bild Architecture and the Raise-Op Housing Cooperative.
Design Resource
The architectural drawings and development notes for this project are available as a resource, to promote the creation of more housing that helps to meet the affordable housing crisis, and also to promote low-energy, and sustainable neighborhood designs. Developers, architects, and community members are all welcome to view and utilize this design. If you would like to obtain the project narrative, notes, and final construction set of architectural drawings for the Passive House Triple Decker, please complete the request form below. The request form will ask for information about your affiliation with housing and your intentions - if any - for future housing development. As a condition of accessing these materials, we request that you agree to share information about how this design resource informs your own housing development efforts, and the outcomes of those efforts.
The architectural drawings and development notes for this project are available as a resource, to promote the creation of more housing that helps to meet the affordable housing crisis, and also to promote low-energy, and sustainable neighborhood designs. Developers, architects, and community members are all welcome to view and utilize this design. If you would like to obtain the project narrative, notes, and final construction set of architectural drawings for the Passive House Triple Decker, please complete the request form below. The request form will ask for information about your affiliation with housing and your intentions - if any - for future housing development. As a condition of accessing these materials, we request that you agree to share information about how this design resource informs your own housing development efforts, and the outcomes of those efforts.