Passive House PHLA+

PHLA+ is one of the first new construction PASSIVE HOUSE building in Los Angeles. It is a showcase of the PASSIVE HOUSE construction standard, the back-end technologies and benefits of PASSIVE HOUSE. The idea behind this project is to educate and inform homeowners and interested parties about the benefits of PASSIVE HOUSE and how those work in the Los Angeles/Southern California climate.

Passive House LA is located on a duplex lot, infill site and is comprised of 1,750 sq.ft. of living area with an additional large deck area over the carport. Large windows provide sufficient natural light and a connection between indoor and outdoor living even with this home’s limited footprint. Exterior fully automated venetian blinds reduce the heat gain effectively keeping the house cooler and comfortable. The entire airtight building envelope including the windows, wall systems and insulation are combined to produce bottom line, significant energy cost savings not possible with conventional building practices.

The goal of healthy indoor air quality is met by using a highly efficient continuous ventilation with heat-recovery (HRV). Water conservation is achieved with low flow fixtures and a motion-activated hot water delivery system. Heat pumps are used for water heating, heating & cooling of the home and for the dryer. An induction cooktop is used in the kitchen.

PHLA+ is an all-electric home with no use of fossil fuel (gas free). The home is Net Zero Energy with only 10x solar PV panels and with its ~5.4kW photovoltaic system it is a plus energy home. The home has a total of 16x PV panel and during the first year of operation it generated a surplus of power allowing to driving a Tesla Model 3 for 10,000 miles.

Architect:
PARAVANT Architects
Christian Kienapfel
AIA, LEED-AP, Certified Passive House Designer
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Architekt (Germany)

CPHC: Sylvia Wallis, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC

Engineer: Troyski Engineering

Certification: Certiphiers, Tad Everhart, Christina Snyder & team

Marketing: KNB Associates

T-24: Avery Colter, Fard Engineers Inc.

HERS: Dav Camras

Shading: CPHBA, Cyril Petit

Photography: Fraser Almeida

Contractor: Guillermo Delgadillo & team
Julio & team