Project Overview

Pan American Square Apartments is a 150-unit affordable and supportive housing development in Buffalo, NY. The all-electric project spans approximately 161,000 square feet across three interconnected four-story buildings and is powered by off-site community solar that offsets 100% of the building’s annual energy use.

Project Highlights

PHIUS+ 2018 Source Zero
$1.875M CEI Funding
$5M Grid Upgrade Required
Passive House consulting and site verification every 2–3 weeks, including air leakage testing

The project achieved Passive House certification under the PHIUS+ 2018 Source Zero standard and was supported by $1.875M in Clean Energy Initiative funding, along with a $5M HFA-approved electrical infrastructure upgrade.

Developed by DePaul Properties, the project transformed a former rail corridor into a residential campus with community amenities, landscaped outdoor spaces, and on site support services.

The development includes studios, one bedroom, and two bedroom apartments, with units reserved for seniors and individuals experiencing housing insecurity. Residents have access to common areas, a staffed commercial kitchen, and services that support long term stability and independent living.

Sustainable Comfort supported the project team from early energy modeling through on site verification and final Phius certification. This work ensured the project met Phius program requirements while coordinating compliance across multiple state and federal programs.

Community and Supportive Services

Pan American Square was designed as both housing and a place of care. On site services include case management, healthcare coordination, transportation assistance, and social support for residents with a range of needs. These services are integrated directly into the residential environment, making it easier for people to remain housed and connected.

Community rooms, lounges, outdoor spaces, and a commercial kitchen that prepares daily meals create opportunities for residents to gather and connect. The goal is not only to provide homes, but to support health, dignity, and long term housing stability.

Shared outdoor courtyard at Pan American Square Apartments. *Photo courtesy of SWBR.*

Sustainable Comfort’s Role

Sustainable Comfort was engaged early in the project to guide its energy and building performance strategy from design through certification. Their work included four core areas.

Blower door testing conducted by Sustainable Comfort during on-site Passive House verification at Pan American Square Apartments.

Passive House Consulting and Verification

Sustainable Comfort served as the Phius Certified Passive House Consultant and Verifier. This involved supporting the design team with early and iterative energy modeling, reviewing envelope and mechanical system decisions, and managing the documentation and testing required to achieve PHIUS+ 2018 Source Zero certification.

Sustainable Comfort also helped facilitate an integrative design approach that brought the full project team together early and often during design development. This led to collaborative solutions and a clear path for meeting Passive House requirements.

During construction, Sustainable Comfort worked closely with the on site team to verify that Passive House standards were being met in the field. SCI staff visited the site approximately every two to three weeks to review insulation installation, window placement, and mechanical system quality with the general contractor, installers, and ownership team.

Sustainable Comfort also coordinated multiple preliminary air infiltration tests using smoke machines. These tests helped identify and address leakage at wall to roof connections, exterior doors and windows, and other high risk areas early, before finishes were installed. This proactive approach helped the project stay on track for certification.

HERS Rating and Energy Compliance

As the project’s HERS rater, Sustainable Comfort evaluated and documented energy performance across all units. This work supported compliance with multiple certification programs and helped confirm that building systems were performing as designed once installed and operational.

Energy and Green Building Consulting

Sustainable Comfort coordinated closely with the architect, construction manager, and engineering teams to integrate energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and electrification goals into the final building design. This included reviewing mechanical systems, ventilation strategies, and envelope details to align with high performance standards while remaining mindful of constructability and budget.

Certification Coordination

In addition to Phius, Sustainable Comfort supported compliance with DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes, EPA Energy Star Multifamily New Construction, EPA Indoor AirPlus, and New York State Clean Energy Initiative requirements, which functioned as co-requisites of the PHIUS+ 2018 program. Managing these overlapping certifications ensured the project qualified for incentives and met regulatory and funding benchmarks, reducing late stage risk and maintaining schedule certainty through certification.

Building Performance and Systems

Pan American Square was designed as an all electric high performance building. Each apartment is served by ducted air source heat pumps that provide heating and cooling, paired with energy recovery ventilation systems that deliver fresh air while minimizing energy loss. A centralized heat pump system provides domestic hot water.

Key Assembly and System Specs

Triple pane windows, U-0.14 to U-0.15 performance
R-40 roof insulation minimum
Energy recovery ventilation with approximately 80 to 84 percent efficiency
Central heat pump domestic hot water
Community solar offset of approximately 997,000 kWh per year

One of the most impactful design decisions was establishing the thermal and air barrier on a single, uninterrupted plane, with architectural detailing built outside of that boundary. This strategy helped maintain airtightness across the entire building envelope while accommodating complex architectural conditions.

The project also incorporated motorized dampers at range hoods that vent directly outdoors, aligning with the owner’s preference for optimal indoor air quality. While many projects rely on recirculating hoods to avoid envelope penetrations, this approach minimized air leakage through careful detailing and control strategies.

The building is supported by an off-site community solar subscription generating approximately 997,000 kWh annually, offsetting 100% of the building’s annual energy use.

Resident community space at Pan American Square Apartments. *Photo courtesy of SWBR.*

Project Complexity

Pan American Square presented challenges beyond a typical multifamily Passive House project. The site’s history as a former railway required the team to address complex structural conditions from the outset, including extensive foundation reinforcement, control joints to accommodate building movement, and three interconnected buildings linked by one story breezeways.

One of the buildings includes a significant amount of storefront glazing, requiring careful selection of a window system that met the architectural intent while achieving Passive House performance targets and maintaining tenant comfort.

The inclusion of a commercial kitchen serving residents introduced higher internal energy loads and ventilation requirements than are typically seen in residential buildings. The project team worked closely with Sustainable Comfort to accurately model these loads and integrate systems while remaining within Phius energy thresholds.

Infrastructure and Utility Coordination

Because the project was designed as a large scale all electric building, its electrical demand exceeded the capacity of the existing local grid connection. A new high voltage service connection was required to support the building’s energy needs.

This required coordination among the developer, National Grid, and state housing agencies to fund and deliver a major electrical service upgrade. The Housing Finance Agency approved more than $5 million in additional financing to cover the cost of the new high voltage connection required to serve the building’s electrical load. This investment allowed the project to remain fully all electric at a scale that would not otherwise have been possible.

Aerial photo of Pan American Square Apartments. *Photo courtesy of SWBR.*

Results

In operation, Pan American Square performs differently than a typical multifamily building, particularly given the population it serves. The design prioritizes daylight, indoor air quality, and comfort for residents who may spend extended time indoors. Large, high performance windows create bright, airy living spaces that support mental health and wellbeing.

Fresh air is continuously supplied through energy recovery ventilation to bedrooms, living spaces, and common areas, providing consistent indoor air quality year round. These systems support residents who may have limited ability to spend time outdoors.

The building purchases 100% of its energy through off-site community generated solar and therefore earns the PHIUS+ 2018 Source Zero designation. Together, these strategies demonstrate how large scale affordable and supportive housing can be delivered with advanced energy performance and full electrification when technical expertise and public investment align.

“DePaul is grateful to Governor Hochul, New York State and all of our partners for their support in building affordable, healthy, and resilient communities. The Pan-American Square Apartments exemplifies how partnership, resilient design, and equity can tackle Buffalo’s housing crisis…”
- Mark H. Fuller, President, DePaul
Source: New York State Homes and Community Renewal press release announcing Pan American Square Apartments (2021).Technical Details