Emu’s COVID-19 Message

As of April 1, 2020.

We are a small business ourselves, so curveballs like this one can be hard to flatten. At the same time, we are a scrappy and creative bunch here at Emu, so we have been working very hard to make sure that we are responding to the needs of our mob. Please scroll down to see how our operations have changed and to find out how to give us feedback on how we can help you through this tough time.

We believe strongly in the power of community.

One thing you will hear from us over and over again is that Passive House level building science goals are much more achievable with an integrated team of professionals. There is power in shared resources and shared knowledge, and that extends naturally to the responsibilities we are facing as a community in the face of the fast-moving developments around the coronavirus.

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How have Emu operations changed?

Fortunately, we are accustomed to working remotely, as we specialize in virtual prototyping, simulations, and modeling. We support clients in North America, Europe, and Australia, so our consulting services are largely unchanged for the time being, and we are working from home until further notice. Our Training Program, on the other hand….

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How has the Emu Training program changed?

The bottom line is that we have a bunch of solutions in place to make sure you get your Passive House learnin’ on. All registered students will receive the full value of the CPHT course they paid for, if not more, as we shift our own business model to help get more knowledge into the hands of builders via several delivery mechanisms.

We’d also like to take a moment to comfort you and remind you that putting yourself ahead of the pack, by learning the most innovative ways to build, will pay off in hard times. During the 2008/09 building bust, those who specialized in green building and niche, high-skill areas of construction weathered the storm much better than mainstream America. Passive House level building science is widely recognized as the way to build resiliently and durably. You can be sure that more and more clients will be looking towards resiliency in the coming months.

Classroom Course Content

The show must go online! The Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) course content is currently being uploaded to an easy-to-use online platform for you to be able to digest on your own schedule from the comfort of home. The timeline for this is currently the end of April, and we are in touch with our registered students about the roll-out. At that time, we will also open registration to new students wishing to enroll in the online CPHT course.

Hands-on Passive Pod Workshops

Emu’s famous Passive Pod workshop is the most unfortunate victim in this debacle, for sure. But, rest assured, all registered students will retain a credit for a future 1-2 day Passive pod hands-on workshop that will include ALL hands-on units originally planned for in the in-person training format. The schedule on this will be published once we have a better idea of the future pandemic timeline. Just hang tight with us until we flatten that curveball a bit more. Until then, please follow us on Instagram for demos, videos, and other fun learning opportunities.

Community and Networking

We know that an online course is not a live course, and for that reason, we are organizing a calendar of live sessions for students to get to know our team, as well as fellow classmates. There will be Q&A sessions for each unit of the course, as well as more open-ended sessions geared at networking and addressing more general questions. The calendar for this is getting organized now and will be announced with course delivery.

PHI Accreditation Exams

We are waiting for instruction from the international testing authority. We will let you know as soon as we know.

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How can we help you?

As the definition of community is being challenged and redefined, our primary mission remains removing hurdles that keep mainstream construction professionals from reaching Passive House level building science goals.

Building an ecosystem of like-minded professionals to help you in your journey is just one part of it. Please watch this video from our Co-Founder, Mariana Pickering, and reach out to us with any feedback you have for us on how we can help.