Alnoba, New England’s premiere destination for corporate retreats, leadership development, wellness programs, and special events, received official Passive House Certification as a Passive House Institute (PHI) Low Energy Standard Building in April. The 2016 structure in Kensington, N.H., was designed specifically to be sustainable, reducing energy use by 75-90% as compared to similar buildings. At the time of its construction, there were fewer than 1,300 PHI units of any size in the United States, and none of this type in the Northeast.
The International Passive House Association, launched by PHI, describes Passive House Certification as “a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in construction that results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for heating or cooling.” Initially, the majority of certified buildings were in Germany, where the institute is housed, followed by Scandinavian countries. In recent years, more American institutions have adopted the model. KIC is proud to have been a groundbreaker with the first PHI-certified gathering space in New England.
Kensington worked with small, Maine-based Preservation Timber and the passive house architects at GO Logic to design the 14,530-square-foot high-performance, low-energy retreat. Callahan Construction Managers implemented these 21st-century energy efficiency protocols using 300-year-old reclaimed timber and sustainable 19th-century timber frame methods. The finished complex includes a main meeting room, gallery, state-of-the-art media room, meditation space, screened porch, and several outdoor seating areas. Alnoba is
Alnoba’s green practices and policies go even further, including using local produce (85% of products are from NH or onsite), solar energy in non-farm buildings and charging stations, wood-based heating at the food barn, a ban on plastic bottles, property-wide recycling, composting, electric vehicle use on property, and use of green products. Together these efforts will help Alnoba reach the goal of being 100% renewable energy and net zero across property by 2023.