Sto Corp., the innovative world leader in complete single-sourced solutions for the building envelope, has teamed up with Pratt Institute and Passive House for Everyone (PHFE) as an advocate sponsor for the first-ever US Collegiate Designed and Built rendition of the International Passive House Ice Box Challenge. Created to demonstrate the essential role Passive House standards can play in mitigating the global climate crisis, the Ice Box Challenge has been an effective illustration around the world. Passive House design and construction has five principles that are fundamental to the energy efficiency of buildings, drastically reducing a building’s energy use while enhancing health and comfort.

The Pratt Institute’s Brooklyn Ice Box Challenge will demonstrate these principles effectively and publicly as the architecture students design and construct two ice box structures, one according to local standard building codes and the other guided by high-performance Passive House building standards. Students and onlookers alike will be able to then observe how a half-ton of ice blocks inside each structure fares over one week.

In Cho, Pratt Institute visiting professor and founder of the climate education non-profit Passive House for Everyone, is overseeing the challenge as part of her curriculum. Pratt Institute’s iteration of the international Ice Box Challenge is notable on multiple fronts. The students at Pratt are the first to feature a modular construction technique, which will allow the two ice box structures to be deconstructed and reassembled on other campuses for future Challenges.

Sto Corp. is more than just an advocate sponsor of the Ice Box Challenge. Dan Canova, Construction Design Manager at Sto Corp., provided hands-on training on Sto’s energy efficient system solutions. “This project was about educating our up-and-coming generation, so it was a real treat to get to work directly with the students,” Canova notes. His instruction was essential to this challenge as Sto Gold Coat®, an air and water-resistive barrier will be applied to the Passive House structure. Additionally, Sto is a contributor to the Passive House movement with a wide range of systems designed to minimize energy consumption. “Energy efficiency is a major focus of what we do at Sto. So we’re excited to be a part of Pratt Institute’s Ice Box Challenge and to support these rising students,” says Jose Berlingeri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sto Americas, “Together with the next generation, we can start a new era of Building with conscience for new and retrofit construction.”

According to Cho, current building practices are a leading cause of climate change. “Buildings contribute up to 40% of carbon emissions that are conducive to climate change, and in dense cities like New York, that number is almost up to 70%.” Cho says Passive House principles can go a long way toward addressing these issues by lowering “heating and cooling energy demands by up to 90%.” While climate action is the primary thrust of Passive House principles, its appeal is multi-faceted. Cho added, “It’s great for energy efficiency, but it also creates incredible comfort and health,” referring to the cleaner, filtered air and more consistent temperatures inside Passive House buildings.

The Pratt Institute’s Ice Box Challenge is set to launch on May 1, 2023, in the Rose Garden of the main campus, with the final result to be revealed on May 8th. For more information about the Ice Box Challenge, visit https://iceboxchallenge.org/. To reserve your spot at the reveal, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pratt-brooklyn-ice-box-challenge-reveal-tickets-617752583607 

Sto will share the results of the challenge, so stay tuned!