Casa Pasiva

Organization Name: RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc.

Project Title: Casa Pasiva

Project Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Project Description:
Casa Pasiva is a retrofit of 9 buildings in Bushwick to Passive House standard. RiseBoro led the design, financing, and renovation of these distressed multi-family buildings. By wrapping exteriors with new HVAC and insulation instead of replacing systems from inside, residents could remain in their homes during construction. The buildings combine Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating/cooling with advanced air-sealing and triple-pane windows to cut energy consumption by >50%. Financing came through HPD‘s Year-15 program, with HFA subsidy and HDC bonds. Apartments remain rent stabilized between 27% and 60% of AMI. The cluster has 146 apartments (1 studio, 14 1BRs, 116 2BRs, and 15 3BRs). 7 units were reserved for domestic violence victims, and 54 were reserved for homeless families. RiseBoro engaged tenants from day one and worked to address each family’s needs, offering rental assistance and social services. Casa Pasiva is a pilot for energy retrofits across RiseBoro’s portfolio. By combining Passive House retrofits with permanent affordability and social services, we are dedicated to fostering a thriving, healthy, and empowered community within our buildings.

Community Impact:
Casa Pasiva positively impacts Bushwick families. Through this project RiseBoro preserved affordable housing for longtime residents, while cutting energy consumption for future generations. The impact of Casa Pasiva is felt through affordability, sustainability, and health. Affordability: Casa Pasiva addresses the affordable housing shortage in NYC by investing in housing stock while keeping deeply low rents for tenants. Lower energy use further increases affordability through reduced utility bills. Sustainability: Energy retrofits reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming. Year-1 operating data shows a 50% reduction in energy use. HVAC meters show that most days, tenants don’t even turn on heat or AC regardless of outdoor temperatures because improved insulation and air-sealing maintains a comfortable interior year-round. In this way, the project also reduces city electrical grid loads. Health: Passive House design improves indoor air quality, reduces noise pollution, and decreases circulation of particulates like germs, smells, and smoke. This superior interior environment has longterm health effects, reducing hospitalization and boosting the physical and mental health of residents.

Organization Description:
RiseBoro Community Partnership’s mission is to unleash the potential of communities to thrive, no matter the odds. For 50 years, RiseBoro has offered services and programs designed to address gaps in the essential needs of our residents & neighbors of every generation. We’ve grown from a Senior Center in Bushwick to Brooklyn’s largest multi-service non-profit. Our strength comes from our devoted and passionate staff, partners, and supporters across our 5 divisions: RB Seniors, RB Housing, RB Health, RB Education, and RB Empowerment.

Team Members:

Chris Benedict - Architect
RiseBoro - Developer
RiseBoro Management Corp – Property Manager
Goldstein Hall - Attorney
Avante Contracting Corp - GC
Bright Power - Sustainability Consultant