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

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

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

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

Casa SgCosta: Passivhaus Plus home, Sitges

ideadmin on 5 September 2023

liver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings has carried out the Passivhaus Plus certification of this single-family home in Sitges, Catalonia, designed by the architect and Passivhaus Designer Sergi Gargallo of SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture.

Casa Sg Costa

Passivhaus

Description

Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings has carried out the Passivhaus Plus certification of this single-family home in Sitges, Catalonia, designed by the architect and Passivhaus Designer Sergi Gargallo of SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture.

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

Photos: Joan Giribet

More information about the project in our Blog article: https://praxis-rb.com/casa-sg-costa-passivhaus-plus-en-clima-calido/

Links:

International Passivhaus Projects database

Spanish Passivhaus Platform (PEP) project database

Year: 2022

Location: Sitges, Cataluña

Services:
Passivhaus certification

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

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

Casa Sg Magi, Sitges: EnerPHit Plus

ideadmin on 2 September 2024

Casa SG Magi: a deep energy retrofit in Sitges

Casa Sg Magi, Sitges: EnerPHit Plus

Passivhaus Certification

Description

Casa SG Magi: EnerPHit Plus deep energy retrofit in Sitges

Designed by Sergi Gargallo from the SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture and certified by Oliver Style from Praxis Resilient Buildings, this single-family home has achieved the EnerPHit Plus certification, thereby reducing the home’s energy consumption by around 90%.

Consisting of ground floor and first, the house has a useful floor area of 82 m². Outer walls are fitted with 120mm of EPS external thermal insulation (ETICS), with 200 mm of XPS insulation on the roof and 100 mm on the floor slab. The Blower Door test result was n50 = 0.69 air changes per hour (ach), well below the EnerPHit límit of n50 = 1 ach. An existing home in Spain typically has an air permeability of around n50 = 10 ach.

The windows consist of WERU Afino One PVC frames, with triple-glazed low-emissivity windows filled with argon gas.

A Zehnder Comfoair Flex 250 sensible heat recovery unit takes care of mechanical ventilation.

Space heating and cooling consists of two Panasonic CU-Z25UBEA air-to-air heat pumps, one on each floor (2 x 2.5 kW for cooling and 2 x 3.2 kW for heating), with ducted indoor split units.

Nine roof mounted 455 Wp photovoltaic panels produce around 32% more energy than the home consumes.

Praxis undertook the Passivhaus audits and certification for the project, as well as completing the 2D thermal bridge calculations to ISO 10211, assessing heat loss and minimum temperatures in all the construction details.

Links:

PEP- (Spanish Passivhaus Platform)
iPHa– (International Passivhaus Projects Database)

Photos: Juan Giribet de Sebastián

Year: 2023

Location: Sitges, Catalonia, Spain

Architecture: SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations

Passivhaus Certification Class: EnerPHit Plus

Climate zone: Warm

Floor area: 82 m2

Thermal envelope area: 347m2

Blower Door Result: 0,69 n50

Heating Demand: 16 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 21 kWh/m2·a

Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 61 kWh/m2·a

Final Energy consumption: 49 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 83 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 26 kg/m2·a

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

Casa SG Mas Alba: Passivhaus Classic home

ideadmin on 6 February 2025

Sg Mas Alba is a single-family home located in Sant Pere de Ribes, on a steeply sloped plot, which defines the design of the house on two levels

Casa SG Mas Alba: Passivhaus Classic Home

Passivhaus Certification

Description

Sg Mas Alba is a single-family home located in Sant Pere de Ribes, on a steeply sloped plot, which defines the design of the house on two levels: the first floor, where the main access and daytime areas are located, and the ground floor, open to the garden, where the bedrooms are located.

The house was designed by the SG Arq architecture practice and certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings as Passivhaus Classic.

Outer walls are made of honeycomb ceramic brick, insulated with external insulation. The terraces and flat roofs are made of concrete slabs, insulated with XPS insulation. The light external colours of the walls and roofs increase the reflection of solar radiation in the summer and reduce cooling demand- a typical vernacular passive strategy throughout the Mediterranean.

The windows include PVC frames with double glazing and external venetian blinds with adjustable slat angles for controlling solar gains. A Zehnder mechanical ventilation system with heat and humidity recovery provides optimum air quality and removal of excess humidity. Heating and cooling are provided by an air-source heat pump and indoor ducted split units. Domestic hot water is generated by a high-efficiency air-to-water heat pump, both made by Panasonic.

Links:

PEP

iPHa

Photos: Sg Arq

Year: 2025

Location: Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, España

Architecture: Sg Arq

Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification

Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic

Climate zone: Warm

Floor area: 113 m2

Thermal envelope area: 470 m2

Blower Door Result: 0,42 n50

Heating Demand: 10 kWh/m2·a

Cooling Demand: 14 kWh/m2·a

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

Final Energy consumption: 37 kWh/m2·a

Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a

CO2eq emissions: 13 kg/m2·a