Ajuntament Llinars del Vallès, EnerPHit Plus

ideadmin on 10 November 2025

Nestled in the Vallès Oriental region, the newly retrofitted Llinars del Vallès Town Council office stands as a pioneering achievement—the first administrative building in Catalonia to earn Passivhaus-EnerPHit certification

Ajuntament Llinars del Vallès, Catalonia, EnerPHit Plus

Passivhaus Certification

Description

A Milestone in Municipal Sustainability: Llinars del Vallès Town Council Office

Nestled in the Vallès Oriental region, the newly retrofitted Llinars del Vallès Town Council office stands as a pioneering achievement—the first administrative building in Catalonia to earn Passivhaus-EnerPHit certification. This landmark project sets a new benchmark for deep energy retrofits in public infrastructure.

The renovation delivers an impressive 90% reduction in heating and cooling demand, made possible by a robust envelope upgrade:

12 cm mineral-based aerated concrete ETICS on the façades
10 cm XPS insulation on the roof
Smartwin timber-aluminium windows, Passivhaus-certified, featuring low-e, argon-filled triple glazing

Airtightness was rigorously addressed, achieving n50 = 0.88 ach, well within Passivhaus standards.

Ventilation is provided by a Zehnder CARMA 9035 unit, also Passivhaus-certified, boasting an 84% heat recovery rate. For heating, the building taps into a biomass district heating network, distributing warmth via wall-mounted fan-coils—which also deliver summer cooling through a 30 kW chiller.

To further reduce operational carbon emissions, a 19.3 kWP solar PV array supplies approximately 70% of the building’s annual energy needs. Real-time monitoring systems track both energy consumption and indoor air quality, ensuring performance transparency and occupant comfort.

Photos: GGV Arquitectura

Links:

PEP (Spanish Passivhaus Platform).

iPHa (International Passivhaus Projects Database)

Year: 2024
Location: Llinars del Vallès, Province Barcelona, Catalonia
Architecture: Guarner Garreta Viola Arquitectura SLP – Lourdes Garreta & Xavier Tragant
Services by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification
Passivhaus Certification Class: EnerPHit Plus
Climate zone: Warm-temperate
Floor area: 768
Thermal envelope area: 1.428 m2
Blower Door result: 0,9 n50
Heating Demand: 18 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 4 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 43 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 48 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 33 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 12 kg/m2·a

Can Mati, Catalonia, EnerPHit Classic home

ideadmin on 17 July 2025

Description Can Mati, Viladecans Passivhaus EnerPHit Classic Retrofit of a Historic Farmhouse Located in Viladecans (Barcelona), Can Mati is a historic rural building that has been sensitively renovated to become the first Passivhaus-certified home in the city. The deep energy retrofit retained the existing structure and architectural character while creating generous, light-filled interior spaces. The …

Can Mati, Catalonia, EnerPHit Classic home

Passivhaus Consultancy & Blower Door testing

Description

Can Mati, Viladecans

Passivhaus EnerPHit Classic Retrofit of a Historic Farmhouse

Located in Viladecans (Barcelona), Can Mati is a historic rural building that has been sensitively renovated to become the first Passivhaus-certified home in the city. The deep energy retrofit retained the existing structure and architectural character while creating generous, light-filled interior spaces. The project has achieved Passivhaus EnerPHit Classic certification.

The energy retrofit focused on improving the thermal envelope and installing efficient MEP systems, as well as an on-site photovoltaic array for self-consumption. A remarkable airtightness value of n50 = 0.5 ach was achieved—meeting the Passivhaus criteria for new builds—by using simple solutions such as plaster finishes and existing roof membranes, with airtight membranes applied only in specific locations.

Wherever feasible, insulation was applied externally. Due to conservation constraints, the upper part of the main façade was insulated internally using cork aggregate and lime-based Diathonite mortar (by Diasen), while the courtyard façade was externally insulated with a rock wool ETICS system and lime-based Com Cal render. Horizontal elements were insulated with wood fibre, and an additional XPS layer was added above the roof membrane to prevent interstitial condensation. The result is a respectful, high-performance retrofit that has reduced heating demand by 90% compared to the original condition—setting a benchmark for energy-efficient retrofitting of historic buildings.

Links:

International Passivhaus Projects Database
Spanish Passivhaus Projects Database

Year: 2021

Location: Viladecans, Catalonia, Spain

Architecture: Daniel Tigges – Tigges Architekt

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Consultancy & Blower Door testing

Passivhaus Certification Class: EnerPHit Classic

Climate zone: Warm Temperate

Floor area: 208 m2

Thermal envelope area: 783 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,52 n50

Heating Demand: 31 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 14 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 54 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 38 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 20 kg/m2·a

McCartney residence, Passivhaus Classic home

ideadmin on 5 June 2025

Description The McCartney Residence is located in New Plymouth, on the North Island of New Zealand. The home was built by eHaus, a company established in 2010 by Jon Iliffe and Baden & Glenda Brown with the dream of creating a New Zealand owned and operated specialist design and construction company using PassivHaus build and …

McCartney residence, Passivhaus Classic home

Passivhaus Certification

Description

The McCartney Residence is located in New Plymouth, on the North Island of New Zealand. The home was built by eHaus, a company established in 2010 by Jon Iliffe and Baden & Glenda Brown with the dream of creating a New Zealand owned and operated specialist design and construction company using PassivHaus build and design principles.

The home was designed by architect Ross Bennett, with Passivhaus consultancy done by Maria Rei of eHaus, and Passivhaus Certification by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings.

This single-story, detached family home has a treated floor area of 125 m² and was built using a lightweight timber frame system, and Gealan Eco Passivhaus certified PVC windows were used. SIGA membranes and tapes have been used for airtight layer.

The blower door test for this home achieved an excellent result of n50 = 0,4 air changes per hour (ACH).

Ventilation is provided by a Zehnder ComfoAir Q350 HRV unit with whole house balanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. A Panasonic split system is used for heating and cooling.

Links:

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2025

Location: New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand

Architecture: eHaus – Ross Bennett

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic

Climate zone: Warm Temperate

Floor area: 125 m2

Thermal envelope area: 460 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,35 n50

Heating Demand: 19 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 0 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 46 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 44 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 16 kg/m2·a

Residence in Blenheim: Passivhaus Plus home

ideadmin on 5 June 2025

Description This new residence is located in Blenheim, on the South Island of New Zealand, and the first to receive Passivhaus certification in Marlborough. The home was built by eHaus, designed by architect Vlada Acimovic, with Passivhaus consultancy by Maria Rei of eHaus. The project was certified to Passivhaus Plus by Oliver Style of Praxis …

Residence in Blenheim: Passivhaus Plus home

Passivhaus Certification

Description

This new residence is located in Blenheim, on the South Island of New Zealand, and the first to receive Passivhaus certification in Marlborough. The home was built by eHaus, designed by architect Vlada Acimovic, with Passivhaus consultancy by Maria Rei of eHaus. The project was certified to Passivhaus Plus by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings.

This is a single-story, detached building with a treated floor area of 157 m², built with a lightweight timber frame system, and Gealan Eco Passivhaus certified PVC windows with low-e triple glazing. SIGA membranes and tapes have been used for airtight layer. The blower door test for this home achieved an excellent result of n50 = 0,5 air changes per hour (ACH).

Ventilation is provided by a Zehnder ComfoAir Q350 HRV unit with whole house balanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.

“Certification was valuable to me, since my career as a chartered accountant attached value to the distinction between registered and unregistered practitioners,” explains co-owner Steven Molotsky.

This is the third project to be certified by Praxis Resilient Buildings in New Zealand.

Link to The Press article: https://www.thepress.co.nz/home-property/350404895/why-were-swapping-1927-bungalow-passive-house

Pep – iPHA

Year: 2025

Location: Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand

Architecture: eHaus – Vlada Acimovic

Service provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus

Floor area [m2]: 157

Thermal envelope area: 577 m2

Blower Door result: 0,46 n50

Heating Demand: 12 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 1 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 31 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 29 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 55 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 10 kg/m2·a

Borda Nova, Andorra: Multifamily Passivhaus

ideadmin on 22 November 2024

La Borda Nova, Andorra: Multiresidential Passivhaus

Description Public development with 44 social housing units, designed by architects Pau Iglesias Rodríguez and Jacint Gil Rodríguez, with Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings as Passivhaus certifier. The building is located in the city of Andorra La Vella, the capital city of Andorra. The project has a treated floor area of 3350 m2 and …

La Borda Nova, Andorra: Multifamily Passivhaus

Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations

Description

Public development with 44 social housing units, designed by architects Pau Iglesias Rodríguez and Jacint Gil Rodríguez, with Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings as Passivhaus certifier. The building is located in the city of Andorra La Vella, the capital city of Andorra.

The project has a treated floor area of 3350 m2 and includes 228 parking places, ground floor commercial premises and a roof garden.

Alongside the certification of the building, Praxis is carrying out Passivhaus component certification of the Butech (Porcelanosa) prefabricated construction system which is being installed on the façade of the building.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Fotos & renders: Locubsa; Pau Iglesias y Jacint Gil

Year: 2024

Location: Andorra La Vella, Andorra

Architecture: Pau Iglesias Rodríguez – Jacint Gil Rodríguez

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic

Climate zone: Warm Temperate

Floor area: 3350 m2

Thermal envelope area: 4796 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,6 n50

Heating Demand: 17 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: – kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 70 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 78 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 17 kg/m2·a

El Niu: multi-residential Passivhaus Plus

ideadmin on 3 April 2024

El Niu, Plurifamiliar Passivhaus - Exterior

El Niu, meaning the “Nest” in Catalan, is Andorra’s first multi-residential Passivhaus Plus certified building, and was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, developed by Lluis Lopez Castro of Propietats y Gestió, and designed by Antoni Martí.

El Niu: multi-residential Passivhaus Plus

Passivhaus Certification

Description

Nestled up at 1275 meters above sea level, El Niu houses 11 dwelling units with a total TFA of 1292 m2 over 4 floors.

Heating and hot water is provided by Pichler PKOM 4 compact heat pump units, providing heat recovery ventilation, heating, cooling, and hot water generation.

The façade consists of two different steel frame systems: the Passivhaus certified Passivhaus External Wall System by Knauf Insulation, and the Archisol and Promisol systems by Arcelor Mittal.

A 37,7 kWp solar PV array is projected to generate 91 % what the building consumes, turning it into a nearly net-zero energy powerhouse that uses approximately 71% less than pre-2010 buildings en Andorra, while emitting only 5976 kg of CO2eq per annum.

Links:

PEP (Spanish Passivhaus Platform)

iPHa (International Passivhaus Projects Database)

Photos: Lluis Lopez Castro

Year: 2024

Location: Ordino, Andorra

Architecture: Despatx d’arquitectura Antoni Martí

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus

Floor area: 1.292 m2

Thermal envelope area: 2.677 m2

Blower Door result: 0,6 n50

Heating Demand: 20 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: – kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption EPR: 37 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 31 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 28 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 11 kg/m2·a

Casa #SgPi: Passivhaus Premium home

ideadmin on 19 July 2023

Praxis has carried out the Passivhaus Premium certification of this single-family home in Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, designed by the architect and Passivhaus Designer Sergi Gargallo of SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture.

Casa #SgPi

Passivhaus

Description

The house has a useful floor area of 254 m2 over a ground floor and three upper floors. The project was developed by reusing an existing structure that remained unfinished, built more than 10 years ago on the same plot, thus reducing the environmental impact of the house.

Outer walls consist of a honeycomb brick with 10cm of high-performance EPS external thermal insulation. The roofs have between 10cm and 20cm of XPS insulation, and the window frames are Passivhaus certified WERU Afino One PVC with triple glazing and exterior shading devices.

An excellent result was achieved in the “Blower Door” air tightness test of n50 = 0.22 ach.

A solar photovoltaic array supplied by Prot Energia was installed on the roof, which generates 11,313 kWh/a of renewable energy. The owner also has an off-site solar photovoltaic installation that generates 10,609 kWh/a, totalling 21,922 kWh/a. The house is expected to consume a total of 6,864 kWh/a.

Through the Passivhaus certification process, Praxis audited all the calculation and design documents presented by the Passivhaus Designer, including the PHPP calculation, thermal bridge calculations, architectural and service drawings and reports, the Blower Door test report, the ventilation commissioning report, and photographic documentation of the entire construction process, to ensure that the building was built as designed and as calculated in the PHPP energy model.

PEP: https://www.plataforma-pep.org/ejemplos-ph/casa-sgpi/

iPHA: https://passivehouse-database.org/index.php?lang=en#d_7297

Photos: Joan Giribet

Year: 2023

Location: Sant Pere de Ribes, Catalonia

Services:
Passivhaus certification

Deep energy retrofit, Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Rehabilitación de Vivienda en Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

Description This deep energy retrofit of a semi-detached home is one of the first in Spain to obtain the EnerPHit Plus certification. The project was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, with Passivhaus design by Alberto Jimenez Tiberio of Arrebol Eficiencia Energética. The dwelling, over three floors, belongs to a row of terraced …

Deep energy retrofit, Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

Passivhaus Certification

Description

This deep energy retrofit of a semi-detached home is one of the first in Spain to obtain the EnerPHit Plus certification. The project was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, with Passivhaus design by Alberto Jimenez Tiberio of Arrebol Eficiencia Energética.

The dwelling, over three floors, belongs to a row of terraced houses located in Beloso, Pamplona. The exposed brick facades and the aesthetics of the neighbourhood meant the house had to be insulated internally, mainly using mineral wool insulation. To meet the Passivhaus requirements, certified Cortizo A84 window frames were installed together with low emissivity, argon filled triple glazing.

The airtightness of the envelope was massively improved during the renovation, with an excellent result in the final blower door test of n50 = 0.64 ach.

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is with a Siber Excellent 4 unit, ensuring a high level of air quality. An air-to-water Mitsubishi heat pump was installed for heating and cooling (using underfloor heating and fan coils), and for domestic hot water production.

Solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, bringing the house to EnerPHit Plus certification. The PV array generates, during a typical year, more energy than the house consumes.

Retrofitting an existing home to Passivhaus standard is a bold step in sustainability, reducing a building’s carbon footprint by reusing the existing structure and slashing operational carbon emissions. The project was certified to EnerPHit Plus by Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2024

Location: Pamplona, Spain

Architecture: Juan Carlos Muguerza

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification

Passivhaus Certification Class: EnerPHit Plus Certification

Climate zone: Warm Temperate

Floor area: 299 m2

Thermal envelope area: 730 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,6 n50

Heating Demand: 20 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 1 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 72 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 43 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 74 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 23 kg/m2·a

Olloki, Navarra: Passivhaus Plus home

ideadmin on 11 February 2025

This single family home in Olloki has achieved Passivhaus Plus certification. Designed by the architecture studio IM Arquitectos Urbanistas SL with

Olloki, Navarra: Passivhaus Plus home

Passivhaus Certification

Description

This single family home in Olloki has achieved Passivhaus Plus certification. Designed by the architecture studio IM Arquitectos Urbanistas SL with

Pedro Mariñelarena Albéniz as Passivhaus Designer, the home was certified by Oliver Style from Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Built over two floors and located towards the back of the plot, the home’s main façade faces southeast. Its light-coloured walls are insulated with external insulation and an insulated service void to the inside. The pitched roof is insulated with mineral wool.

Unilux timber-aluminium windows with low-e argon-filled triple glazing and adjustable blinds were installed.

A Zehnder ComfoAir Q350 mechanical ventilation with heat recovery unit provides good air quality, removing contaminants and excess moisture 24 hours a day.

The heating and cooling system consists of an air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating/cooling. The same heat pump provides hot water for showering and tap use.

A 7.2 kWp solar photovoltaic system installed on the roof generates about 8,600 kWh/year and enables the house to achieve Passivhaus Plus status.

The monitoring data show that the house is working correctly:

Predicted total consumption in the PHPP = 6,294 kWh/a
Average total consumption measured between 2022-2024 = 5,825 kWh/a

Links:

PEP

iPHa

Photos: Pedro Mariñelarena Albéniz

Year: 2025

Location: Olloki, Navarra, España

Architecture: IM Arquitectos Urbanistas SL

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus

Climate zone: Warm Temperature

Floor area: 135 m2

Thermal envelope area: 526 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,57 n50

Heating Demand: 15 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 3 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 58 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 47 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 89 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 25 kg/m2·a

Can Martí, Ibiza: Passivhaus Plus home

ideadmin on 6 February 2025

Casa Can Martí is a single-family home located in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, and is certified Passivhaus Plus.

Can Martí, Ibiza: Passivhaus Plus Home

Passivhaus Certification, Thermal bridge calculations

Description

Casa Can Martí is a single-family home located in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, and is certified Passivhaus Plus.

Fraile Project did the Site Supervision and Construction Management for the project. The home was designed by architects Antonio Albaladejo and Josep Ferrer Llaneras and certified by Oliver Style from Praxis Resilient Buildings.

The house is built with a CLT structure with external EPS insulation on the walls and XPS insulation on the roof.

The windows consist of aluminium-timber frames with low-e argon-filled double glazing, and exterior sliding shading devices and two pergolas on the north and south facades.

The house has a very high level of airtightness, tested on-site with a Blower Door test, together with a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems, that guarantees good indoor air quality and removes contaminants and excess humidity 24 h/d.

To reach Passivhaus Plus, 24 solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, providing a 10.8 kWP generator, along with a vacuum tube solar collector for domestic hot water.

Links:

PEP

iPHa

Photos: Rafa Fraile

Year: 2025

Location: Santa Eulària des Riu, Islas Baleares, España

Architecture: Fraile Project with Antonio Albaladejo y Josep Ferrer Llaneras

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, Thermal bridge calculations

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus

Climate zone: Warm

Floor area: 212 m2

Thermal envelope area: 852 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,63 n50

Heating Demand: 11 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 19 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 53 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 50 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 69 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 15 kg/m2·a