Looking for Passive House Designer Training?
Look no further! If you are seeking your Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant credential from the Passive House Institute (Germany), you have two great offerings in the Western Pennsylvania region this year: one offered on-demand this summer and one offered in-person this winter.
The Passive House (or PassivHaus) standard is a rigorous, science-based method for achieving incredible energy efficiency, durability, and healthy indoor air in any kind of building. Passive House can help buildings become net-zero-ready and is widely recognized as a path toward operational carbon neutrality in the building sector. In short, this building strategy and standard supports residential and commercial buildings that can help mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Professionals who earn their Passive House Designer/Consultant credential gain a competitive edge by becoming a resource for local projects, which are becoming more in-demand in the U.S. and in Pennsylvania (particularly with PHFA awarding 10 extra points to affordable housing projects pursuing the standard).
The content of these courses is incredibly technical and dense, and once students pass their exam, there is still much to learn and master. Students will especially need more time honing their skills with the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) modeling tool, and this is a common next step for many who have obtained their credentials. There are wonderful local, national, and international resources and passionate groups of professionals (including Passive House PA and the Passive House Accelerator) who help each other by sharing lessons learned and case studies.
These courses are ideal for architects and engineers, but could also be great for sustainability consultants, academics, construction engineers, and project managers. Reach out to Leslie Montgomery if you have questions about whether this is the right credential for you.
This year, both Passive House Network and Green Building Alliance are offering trainings in the Western Pennsylvania region! In both of the options below, you can select to take the training only, or also sign up to take the exam. If you opt to take the exam, you will sit for the exam with the organization who provided your training (PHN or GBA), and all CPHD/C exams through PHI are being proctored virtually at this time. Each offering will also include additional opportunities to get to know other Passive House enthusiasts and learn about local projects. For those taking the exam, both courses offer instructor-led review days which are included in the exam fee.
Passive House Network is running a Pennsylvania Cohort of its hybrid training, which features both self-paced on-demand instruction as well as live virtual Q&A sessions with local Pennsylvania experts. Passive House Pennsylvania is the local host of this training and GBA is supporting as a promotional partner. For those attending in the Pittsburgh region, a project site visit will also be available. This course begins on June 24 and concludes at the end of August, leaving time to study for the exam at the end of September. Use GBA affiliate code GBA_PHNCPHD if you sign up, so they know we sent you!
GBA will offer an in-person training spread out over three weeks on Thursdays and Fridays, starting on November 3. This allows students to complete the class without much impact on their schedule. Knowledgeable Pittsburgh-based Passive House trainers will teach this course at GBA’s offices. This course includes additional reading material and optional homework in between classes. Breakfast, lunch, and coffee will be included. This course begins on November 3 and concludes on November 18, leaving time to study for the exam in January.
GBA may opt to require either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test prior to the class days if COVID is high during that time. If there is a major COVID spike at that time, the course will be moved online but will remain live in real-time with instructors.
If you have been waiting for your chance to work towards your CPHD credential, this is the time to do it! These two options offer great choices for time of year and format, so there is something for everyone. Learn more about the PHN Summer training on the PHN website, and if you sign up, please use this affiliate code so they know we sent you: GBA_PHNCPHD. And stay tuned for more information about GBA’s Winter training as registration will open later this summer. Please reach out to Leslie Montgomery with any questions.
Looking for a Passive House Tradesperson Training through Passive House Institute? Check out our friends at Emu Systems and keep an eye out for future local trainings in Pittsburgh.
