This year’s California Green Building Conference 2025, hosted by USGBC-California, was held on May 22 at the iconic Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Among the featured speakers was Christian Kienapfel, Architect and Certified Passive House Designer & Consultant, who presented an insightful session titled:
“Innovative SB9 & ADU Infill Housing: Leveraging International Passive House Standards for Sustainable and Resilient Solutions in Los Angeles, California.”

Passive House SB9 & ADUs in CA's Milder Climates. Christian Kienapfel, architect and Certfied Passive House Design presented during the Passive House California Community meeting a single-family home per SB9 and an ADU in Los Angeles.

Passive House Accelerator Magazine | Spring 2024 features Passive House project from PARAVANT Architects in Los Angeles.

Two ADUs designed by PARAVANT Architects and built to Passive House standards exemplify how evolving policies, and tastes, are reshaping the urban landscape of Los Angeles. Read the article written by Mary James on the Passive House Accelerator.

In 2021, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 9 (SB9) to further address California’s housing shortage. SB9 went into effect January 1, 2022. This law establishes a streamlined process to develop two primary residential dwelling units on one eligible single-family zoned parcel, and to split one eligible single-family zoned parcel into two separate parcels of approximately equal size. SB9 also provides more flexible property setbacks and parking standards and extends subdivision approval expirations for eligible parcels