Description

Overview: From Massachusetts & the United Kingdom, from the C-Suite to the trades, realizing the full power of Passive House means training, learning, and sharing.

Presentation 1:

How Construction-Phase Excellence Unlocks the Full Value of Passive House

Presented by Sarah Lewis, Passivhaus Trust

While the technical case for Passive House is well established for more complex building typologies – schools, universities, healthcare, and civic infrastructure – performance gaps during construction and handover undermine confidence among clients, funders, insurers, and policymakers. Drawing on a research initiative led by the Passivhaus Trust, the shared findings identify the critical levers for delivering Passive House across procurement and programming, leadership and site culture, to commissioning and handover. This presentation offers practical, experience-based guidance for teams seeking to de-risk delivery, support finance and insurance confidence, and translate policy ambition into real-world outcomes.

Presentation 2:

Massive Learnings from Massachusetts

Presented by Beth Campbell, Passive House Massachusetts

As Massachusetts now mandates Passive House certification for multifamily projects in Specialized Code communities, scaling cost-effective delivery is paramount. This presentation highlights a professional knowledge gap in Passive House (from engineers and architects to drywallers and HVAC teams) and addresses it by identifying systemic best practices for ventilation, airtightness, and team coordination. Based on interviews with more than 40 Passive House professionals, it’s a powerful opportunity to learn from collective experience and produce a roadmap for industry-wide success.

1.25 AIA & 1 PHI CEUs

Moderated by Dori Lam, PassivhausMAINE

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain how construction-phase quality assurance directly influences Passive House performance, certification outcomes, and long-term asset value in large and complex buildings. 
2. Identify the procurement, programming, and site-management strategies that most effectively reduce performance risk and rework on Passive House projects at scale.
3. Explore practical, specific strategies that have contributed to the successful certification of Passive House projects in Massachusetts, and analyze the biggest risks and recurring challenges that impact certification success. 
4. Apply best practices in communication, collaboration, and team education to enhance project outcomes, gleaned from over 40 experienced Passive House professionals.