This LEED Platinum Certified house is sited in an original 160-acre homestead west of Petaluma. The barn shape of the house evokes and frames the local landscape, where farming and ranching are still a part of daily life.
L+U provided passive design consulting, thermal comfort modeling, energy modeling and PV sizing. Passive heating and cooling with thermal mass and insulation, ground coupled heat pump, radiant cooling and heating along with solar and photovalic panels contribute to the energy efficiency. On the south facade, there is a deep overhang that takes advantage of the requirements for energy consumption by over 50 percent, providing energy savings and visual comfort.