Carbon neutrality a goal of Catskill Project

Developers plan to build ‘passive homes’

By Mio Moser | Manor Ink

Shandelee, NY – As the problem of climate change becomes even more urgent, it is important that we begin to rethink some of our traditional ways of life. It is especially important that the homes we live in are carbon neutral and climate friendly.

Currently being built on Shandelee on Huber Road is a community of “passive houses,” known as The Catskill Project. This community has the goal of being the first carbon neutral development in the Catskills.

Passive homes are, essentially, homes that are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. Such homes are completely air tight, which allows for efficient cooling and heating. Additionally, passive houses also have an Energy Recovery Ventilator, which consistently keeps fresh air circulation while filtering out airborne pollutants. Essentially, passive houses are homes that are designed to provide clean air at comfortable temperatures with low energy usage year round.

There are many advantages that passive houses have over conventional homes. First of all, they are designed to be airtight and insulated, which means that less energy is needed to keep the house at room temperature. This can be especially valuable factoring in the energy costs of the modern age. Additionally, all air that enters the house is filtered, reducing the risk of inhaling pollutants or dust.

Eleven planned homes

The Catskill Project, which was started by Peter Malik and Greg Hale, along with principal architect Buck Moorhead, are focused on bringing passive houses to a 90-acre patch of land on Shandelee. “We do love energy efficiency, we like beautiful buildings. So how about if we did something that’s quite advanced and quite aspirational in a place that we loved, which is western Sullivan County,” Peter Malek said.

The Catskill Project’s community will consist of eleven three-to-six acre plots, each plot containing one uniquely designed passive house. So far, three houses have been built. However, building passive homes on a steep hillside in rural Sullivan County isn’t always easy.

Preassembled components

Before construction even began, great attention was paid to the preservation of the local environment’s pristine beauty. “We wanted it to also be very beautiful and respectful of nature,” Malek said. To meet the local stormwater management guidelines, many rain gardens and floodwater ponds were constructed. Additionally, to cut down on construction costs and time, an assembly line model was adopted. Different parts are manufactured by specialists from around the world and then shipped to the construction site, where they are assembled. “It gets assembled in a period of two, three days, and then you’ve got basically 40 percent of the house ready,” Malek said.

Overall, the reception from the public and buyers has been good. “I haven’t run into anybody who’s not interested in what we’re doing. They may not understand it at first, but after we spend time and go through the process of understanding how these houses are built, it puts another arrow in their quiver,” Greg Hale said. And, even though their purchase price might be higher than that of a conventional house, most passive houses do return the extra expense, due to very low energy costs.

The developers stressed that it is important to reconsider our ways of living to come up with more sustainable, climate-friendly solutions. And, while passive homes may not single-handedly avert disaster, they are one small step closer to a carbon neutral future. To learn more about The Catskill Project, visit thecatskillproject.com.