Designing Ultra-Low-Energy Homes: A Training Course in Passive House Principles
1Summary
Imagine a home that stays comfortable in every season while using a fraction of the energy of a conventional building. That is the promise of Passive House: not a brand or a gadget, but a rigorous performance standard built on airtight construction, high-performance insulation and smart ventilation with heat recovery.
This Training Course, delivered by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, walks architects, engineers and contractors through the technical core of Passive House design - how thermal insulation, airtightness, windows and ventilation work together - and through the certification process itself, so participants leave able to design, specify or verify a genuine Passive House project.
2Objectives and target group
What You'll Gain
- A working understanding of Passive House principles and how each one affects real building performance.
- The ability to apply the standard on live projects, adjusted for climate and building type.
- Familiarity with the technical components - insulation, airtightness, glazing and ventilation - that make a Passive House work.
- Skills to analyse the building envelope and identify where it can be optimised for maximum efficiency.
- Insight into indoor comfort gains that come alongside the energy savings.
Who Should Attend?
- Architects and building designers wanting advanced energy-efficient design skills.
- Construction engineers and contractors delivering residential, commercial or institutional projects.
- Energy auditors, sustainability consultants and project managers working on high-performance buildings.
- Building inspectors, developers and investors who need to understand Passive House requirements and value.
3Course Content
Module 1: Why Passive House - Standard, Impact and the Business Case
- Where the Passive House standard came from and what it actually requires.
- How it compares to conventional construction on heating demand, airtightness and energy use intensity.
- The environmental and long-term financial case for building to the standard.
Module 2: The Building Envelope as the Starting Point
- Why the envelope is the single biggest lever in Passive House performance.
- Creating a high-performance envelope that minimises heat loss.
- Materials and techniques suited to different climates.
Module 3: Insulation and Eliminating Thermal Bridges
- Choosing insulation materials appropriate to climate and building type.
- Understanding thermal bridging and why it undermines performance.
- Maintaining insulation continuity at joints, edges and penetrations.
Module 4: Airtightness and High-Performance Windows
- Why airtightness matters as much as insulation, and how to achieve it.
- Tools and techniques for measuring and verifying airtightness.
- Passive House-certified windows: triple glazing, insulated frames and correct placement.
Module 5: Ventilation, Heat Recovery and Comfort
- How mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) maintains air quality and temperature.
- Balancing airtightness with proper ventilation to avoid indoor pollutants.
- Case examples of heat-recovery systems in Passive House projects.
Module 6: Calculating and Modelling Performance
- Tools used to calculate a building's energy performance.
- Reading energy models and simulations in a Passive House context.
- The relationship between energy use intensity, heating demand and total consumption.
Module 7: The Certification Journey
- Steps to obtain Passive House certification, and who is involved.
- Performance criteria that must be met, and how to demonstrate compliance.
- Using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) for energy modelling.
Module 8: Adapting the Standard to Climate and Regulation
- How Passive House requirements shift across climates and regions.
- Variations in certification requirements based on location.
- The influence of local building codes on design choices.
Module 9: From Design to Site
- Best practice for integrating Passive House principles during design.
- What builders and contractors need to watch for on site to hit the standard.
- Managing costs and budgeting without compromising performance.
Module 10: Where Passive House Is Heading
- Emerging technologies and innovations in the field.
- Passive House's role in national and global climate targets.
- Its influence on the broader future of sustainable building practice.