SCE faculty member Andreas Benzing recently won an EBie Award from the Urban Green Council for a passive house retrofit in Mamaroneck, New York. This house is Westchester County’s first passive house. Benzing transformed the typical post-war house into a highly efficient one by wrapping the original structure within a super-insulated, airtight and thermal bridge free building envelope. Other features of Benzing’s design include a pergola that provides shade for the home’s south windows; this has led to a significant decrease in cooling demand in warm weather. All photos by Karin Krossber.