Lab Home A and Lab Home B were the first two demonstration homes constructed by IBACOS, both built in nearby lots in Plum Borough in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. The design selected for both of the homes was the Hawthorne model from national production homebuilder Ryland's mid-Atlantic division.

Lab Home A was built using standard Ryland practice, and, where possible, Ryland trades. Lab Home B followed the same floor plan and elevation, but was engineered and built using best practice technologies and emerging systems from IBACOS research. These improvements resulted in a 50% improvement in thermal performance compared to a typical new home in Pittsburgh.

Lab Homes A and B represented a typical house type (two-story with basement) in a broadly representative climate (the cold climate of Pittsburgh). IBACOS recognized the need to extend its activities further into other regions of the country, and thus, targeted a hot-humid location for its next Lab Home.