EDUCATOR
Brooklyn, USA
PRATT Ice Box Challenge
EDUCATOR
Brooklyn, USA
PRATT Ice Box Challenge
Project Team
Professor: In Cho
Students: Kelsey Delahunt
Jeremias Emestica
Khushali Jain
Tyler Haas
Yuxin Li
Emerald Liang
Angie Widjaja
Maxwell Wolfe
Shruti Sridhar
Vivian-Weiwei Sun
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Pratt Ice Box Challenge, the first student-led design-build pedagogical project: two enclosures, one built to local standards and one using high-performance Passive House principles to demonstrate thermal-performance and low-carbon architectural design.
Overview
Pratt Ice Box Challenge, the first student-led, design-build initiative to reimagine how sustainable architecture drives climate action. It emerged when Pratt visiting assistant professor In Cho confronted mold-prevention challenges during a renovation, clarifying a “North Star” centered on building health, performance, and resilience. Recognizing the value of hands-on learning, she launched the project at Pratt. Students constructed two ice-structure enclosures—one using Passive House principles and the other using standard practices—and conducted real-time performance testing. The Passive House structure consistently retained more ice than the standard enclosure, offering a visible demonstration of high-performance building benefits for decarbonization, health and affordable clean energy. Data collection, exhibition advanced climate literacy.
Institution
Pratt Institute
School of Architecture
Community Organization
Passive House for Everyone — Brooklyn, New York City, USA
passivehouseforeveryone.org
Community Engagement
Engaging the community is central to the Ice Box Challenge, inviting the public to observe, ask questions, and interact with real-time data. By placing student-built structures in public, the project turns climate education into an accessible learning experience.
Partners
Passive House for Everyone, ChoShields Studio Rockwool, Sto-Corp, 475 High-Performance Building Supply, Klearwall, International Passive House Association, Square Indigo
