Passive House Workshop
Hands-on High-performance Building Training
Become a high-performance, green builder with hands-on Passive House training. Gain real-life skills for all-electric, low-carbon buildings.
Why Hands-On Passive House Training?
Far too often, people get “certified” in advanced building science and high-performance construction by just attending theoretical, recorded material online. Construction is a very complex process, and videos and PowerPoint presentations can only offer limited value.
Emu’s Passive Pod Workshop is the most popular hands-on Passive Builder workshop in the U.S., as it combines practical, real-life exercises with a fun, gamified training experience.
Real-Life Education for High-Performance Commercial and Residential Projects – Including Retrofits
The Passive Pod Workshop is designed for both commercial and residential construction techniques.
Participants apply the building science principles of Passive House to Emu’s proprietary Passive Pods – advanced mockups specifically designed to address:
- Commercial construction techniques (steel frame, CMU)
- Residential construction techniques (stick framing with exterior insulation, and double wall construction)
- All-building approach, including strategy exercises for proper planning and staging
- Specific high-performance detailing, e.g., Passive House window install
- Live testing and verification of the work
Why Real-Life Passive Building Workshops Matter
Until the day buildings are entirely printed by machines, there will be value in hands-on training for construction professionals.
Hands-on education provides participants with a tactile learning experience that complements the theoretical building science training.
For Architects – More Practical Knowledge Brings Performance Up, Costs Down
Through this real-life building science workshop, architects and designers learn how to develop high-performance construction details in ways that are easier, faster, and cheaper to build on site.
Attending the hands-on Passive Building Workshop is a key milestone for design professionals who want to build a career in high-performance construction and green building. The building science design tools that participants learn in this practical training can be applied to any project and remain with them for the rest of their careers.
For Builders – Smarter On-Site Decisions Lead to Cheaper High-Performance Construction
The hands-on experience enables builders and contractors to make smarter decisions on site, thus speeding up work while meeting higher performance goals. Furthermore, Passive House-trained builders learn to better control costs in high-performance projects. This also includes avoiding the need to redo work, thanks to better staging and sequencing of job tasks.
What to Expect from the Hands-On Passive Building Training
Hands-On Passive House Training Workshop Schedule + Logistics
The Passive Pod Workshop consists of:
- 2-day workshop, typically on a Wednesday + Thursday (during a week of a Public Boot Camp)
- Typical schedule is 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Lunch is provided
- All materials and tools are provided
- You don’t need to prepare anything before coming in
Building Science Learning Objectives at the Hands-On Workshop
This practical building science workshop simulates real jobsite conditions and issues for participants to solve, including, among others:
- Overall strategy setting, depending on project and climate-specific conditions
- High-performance product selection and applications
- Advanced air sealing strategies, including job planning and sequencing
- Low-carbon and fire-resistant insulation products
- Thermal bridge identification and avoidance
- Real-life European-style window install
It’s All Building Science Fun and Games Until…
In this hands-on high-performance building training, participants are divided into teams that compete against one another to build the highest performance, “most Passive” Pod.
The goal is to train participants to develop their own critical skills around practical Passive building techniques. Furthermore, the team role-playing and jobsite simulations help.
Throughout the workshop, the teams are also tasked with solving games and quizzes around high-performance construction, low-carbon products, and green building best practices. Upon winning games, teams are awarded higher-performance products to install in their Pod.
For example, the team that wins the windows game gets to install a higher-performing window in their Pod.
Real-Life High-Performance Building – Testing and Verification
The Passive Pod Workshop includes the real-life testing of the Pods once the teams complete their work. This allows participants to learn from their own mistakes and review the work of others with the support of hands-on building science testing.
The Passive Building Workshop includes the following hands-on testing methods:
- Smoke Test – executed once the air barrier is complete, so that participants can identify air leaks and seal them
- Infrared Camera Test – we heat up the Pods from the inside, and participants inspect them with an infrared camera to identify thermal bridges
Resiliency Test – once the Pods are warm inside, we turn off their heating and let them cool down overnight and record their interior temperatures. The Pod that keeps the highest temperature is the most “Passive” Pod!
Hands-On Passive Build Workshop – Who Should Attend?
The hands-on Passive Pod Workshop training is designed for high-performance builders, green building architects, and progressive construction professionals. However, attending the Passive Pod Workshop as part of a Boot Camp is a great way for hands-on homeowners and owner-builders to receive building science education and hands-on experience.
Hands-On Building Science Workshop – Typical Audience
Participants of this high-performance building hands-on workshop have a mixture of different backgrounds and stages in their careers. Generally speaking, they are:
- Builders and general contractors (about half of the participants)
- Architects and designers (about a third of the participants)
- Green building professionals (e.g., reps of high-performance products)
- Trades, specialty contractors (e.g., air sealing specialists, window installers, etc.)
- Other construction professionals
- People entering the construction industry (e.g., starting a design+build company, or switching careers)
- Owner-builders or hands-on homeowners
Continuing Education Credits Through This Hands-On Building Science Training
The Passive Pod Workshop is granted 16 continuing education credits with the Passive House Institute. These CE credits apply to Passive House Designers and Consultants (CPHD, CPHC), as well as Passive House Builders/Tradespersons (CPHT), once the hands-on training is complete.
In-Person Passive Building Training Format and Location
Locations and Dates for the Hands-On Passive House Training
The Passive Pod Workshops are organized as part of Emu’s Boot Camps. If you’re planning on organizing a Private Boot Camp, we’ll discuss availability and dates with you.
To sign up for a hands-on Passive House Workshop, please review dates and locations for the upcoming Public Boot Camps. Because of the advanced nature of the Passive Pod Workshop training, we require participants to have prior Passive House knowledge. Please see prerequisites below.
Passive House Hands-On Training Formats
The building science hands-on workshop is what we call the Passive Pod Workshop. The Pod Workshop is always in person.
What to Expect from the Hands-On Passive Building Training
By number of participants per year, Emu’s Passive Pod Workshop is the most popular hands-on Passive House and building science training in the U.S.
Among others, the reasons for the success of this hands-on high-performance workshop include:
- It covers commercial + residential construction techniques
- We use the latest high-performance, low-carbon products and review a broad range of factors (cost-effectiveness, fire resilience, product availability, job staging and sequencing)
- It includes in-person networking opportunities during and after the workshop
- When bundled in a Boot Camp, it’s one of the most affordable and fastest ways to get your team Passive House-certified
- It’s standard agnostic – people with prior certification with both PHI and Phius are welcome to attend
Sponsorship-Free – Try Out Multiple Products at Once
Unlike most of our competitors, we proudly do not take product sponsorships for our training events. This allows our trainers the freedom to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of any products, and their pros and cons.
Furthermore, this brand-neutral environment allows participants to experiment and compare high-performance building products in a hands-on workshop.
How to Register for the Hands-On Passive Pod Workshop
There are a few different ways to participate in Emu’s Passive Pod Workshop:
A. Attend a Public Boot Camp – the Passive Pod Workshop is included in the Boot Camp.
B. Organize a Private Boot Camp for your team (minimum 24 participants) – the workshop is included in the Boot Camp.
C. Sign up for the Passive Pod Workshop once you complete the Passive House online course
D. If you are already Passive House-certified, contact us to sign up for the Passive Pod Workshop at a Public Boot Camp.
Prerequisites to Participate in the Hands-On Passive Pod Workshop
Because of the advanced nature of the Passive Pod Workshop training, we require participants to have prior Passive House knowledge.
If you already possess any of the following certifications, you pre-qualify to register for the Passive Pod Workshop at one of our upcoming Public Boot Camps without having to retake the Passive House course:
- PHI Consultant or Designer (CPHC, CPHD)
- PHI Tradesperson (CPHT)
- Phius Consultant (CPHC)
- Phius Builder (CPHB)
If this is your case, contact us to sign up for the Passive Pod Workshop.