Passive House Accelerator is launching Building Performance Interactive, an 8-part monthly virtual miniseries, on October 28 at 2 pm BST (9 am ET).
About Building Performance Interactive
The program was developed as part of a collaboration with the Accelerator and Hugh Whiriskey of Partel, who saw a need for more interactive programming to share lessons learned and best practices from the explosion of Passive House projects happening close to our original markets. “It started with a strong determination to support the transformation of the low-carbon building sector towards nZEB and Passive House through a new perspective, based on a collaborative approach,” Whiriskey said.
Format of BPI - virtual miniseries
Building Performance Interactive (BPI) - Design it. Shape it. Build it. will be virtual and free to attend, focused on inclusivity, collaboration, and the elevation of high-performance building as its guiding principles. Episodes will provide a platform for audiences in continental Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom to learn about Passive House design principles, nZEB (nearly zero energy building) techniques, and other high-performance building methodologies that can help ensure compliance with the increasingly rigorous standards and policy goals of governments throughout the UK, Ireland, and Europe.
Each episode will be 60 minutes comprising of live learning sessions featuring informative video and technical presentations, case studies, roundtable, and opportunities for Q&A discussion.
Co-hosts
Hugh Whiriskey will serve as one of the three co-hosts of the series, along with Mike Jacob and Ben Adam-Smith. Whiriskey is the Founder and Technical Director of Partel, with a strong background in low-energy construction, sustainable design, building physics, and technical product training. Jacob is a Reading-based chartered construction manager and co-founder of KISS House, a custom-built home provider. Adam-Smith is a self-builder, a well-known producer of podcasts and videos on construction and Passive House design.
Though the case studies will draw from projects in the UK, Ireland, and Europe, the discussion about building performance, design solutions, sustainable building materials, and lessons learned will be universal and applicable to a global scale.
Tradespeople, contractors, engineers, architects, consultants, and self-builders from around the world will be able to tune in and learn about low-energy buildings live from industry experts.
Episode 1 - Launch on October 28
The first episode, "Train-to-nZEB - Centres of Excellence for High-Performance Buildings", will focus on the importance of developing hands-on construction training to better educate the trades about high-performance building. To illustrate this point, we will visit the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Centres to speak with Passive House leader Tomas O’Leary. Tomas will provide a tour of the centers and talk about his experience as an educator, as well as how crucial practical training programs on retrofits, airtightness, and ventilation have been in creating a stronger workforce and construction industry in Ireland and internationally.
Guest: Tomas O’Leary, Managing Director, MosArt
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 1 <<
Episode 2: MMC - Offsite TF Construction from Start to Finish | November 18
The second episode will address modern methods of construction (MMC) and the significant role it plays in maximizing building performance and reducing carbon footprint, for better sustainable developments.
To illustrate this point, co-hosts along with Accelerator will visit the Ktf Keenan Timber Frame factory. John Keenan and Lawrence Taylor of Ktf will talk about the design, and the manufacturing process of most popular timber frame systems, providing a real perspective on how standardised designs can be incorporated into projects to achieve scale.
The featured project will highlight the environmental benefits, as well as how energy-efficient timber frame homes can be designed to deliver excellent thermal and airtightness standards while incorporating low-carbon building materials.
Adoption of new technologies and modern off-site construction methods can help support the sector to meet the climate change targets, in the UK, Ireland and globally.
Guest: Lawrence Taylor, Business Development Manager at Ktf Timber Frame
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 2 <<
EPISODE 3: Waterproof breathable fabrics in low carbon EnerPHits at scale | December 9
The third episode of the Building Performance Interactive, "Waterproof breathable fabrics in Low Carbon EnerPHits at scale", will focus on deep retrofit, carried out in a rigorous way to help achieve the EnerPHit target in humid climates such as the UK. This innovative approach to deep retrofit has been designed to be replicable, and carbon conscious, reducing the operational energy demand while minimising the embodied carbon impact.
To illustrate this point, Dara, Ben and Mike will explore the construction and on-site airtightness process with the core team involved in building renovation.
Andrew Simmonds - Partner at Simmonds Mills Architects will exemplify how the use of WUFI, PHPP modelling, and AECB PHribbon tools can facilitate the design and accurate calculations of Embodied CO2 for Passive House and retrofits, in meeting the standard. He will also discuss the importance of monitoring real-life buildings for condensation.
Tim Hulse – Passive House Champion at EcoVert will discuss the sustainable practicalities, insulation, airtightness measures, and type of building components installed to enhance the envelope performance while minimising embodied carbon.
The EnerPHit project featured in this episode demonstrates how the retrofit steps can be replicable across all building types to achieve a high efficiency and comfort level.
Guests: Andrew Simmonds – CEO at AECB and Partner in Simmonds.Mills Architects
Tim Hulse – Passivhaus Champion at EcoVert Solutions
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 3 <<
EPISODE 4: Super Insulated Airtight PH Homes – TF Construction | January 27
The fourth episode of the BPI will focus on super-insulated airtight timber frame construction to accelerate strategic design and development of Passive House projects.
Expertise, fast building techniques, along with high-quality and energy saving materials are required in assuring high-performance timber frame construction.
To illustrate this point, co-hosts together with Accelerator will visit the construction site of a new build Passive House in the UK to speak with Adrian Williamson and Lee Broomhall involved in the process.
Adrian Williamson will exemplify how the adoption of intelligent strategic design of timber frame construction can maximise energy savings through its structural components, while meeting current building standards.
Lee Broomhall will talk about achieving the PH standard, using passive timber frame wall and foundation systems, advanced manufacturing techniques that create a continuously insulated thermal envelope, superior airtightness, and thermal bridge-free house.
Adopting the latest technologies and modern methods of timber frame construction can help to achieve significant energy savings of up to 90%, and can provide an extremely low U-value by integrating best practices of manufacturing processes.
EPISODE 5: PHribbon calculates the embodied carbon in a new masonry building | February 24
The fifth episode will address the importance of the PHribbon tool in enabling designers to achieve accurate calculations of the full lifetime Embodied CO2 for Passive Houses and low energy buildings including retrofits.
We will explore an embodied carbon assessment of a low-energy passive house while considering operational carbon impacts. This will be explored with Tim Martel, developer of PHribbon energy software and Ben Adam Smith, the owner and self-build mentor. They will provide a deeper understanding of why PHribbon is such a valuable tool, demonstrate its versatility in use, with a focus on key materials and related services including heating systems.
PHribbon was recently adapted for the USA market; it has been available in Ireland and the UK for the past 3 years demonstrating its robust capacity to address carbon in buildings - ready to tackle the scale of the climate emergency.
Guest: Tim Martel - Chartered Architectural Technologist & PHribbon Developer at AECB PHribbon
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 5 <<
EPISODE 6: Achieving Thermal Performance in Modular CLT Developments | March 24
The sixth episode focuses on the sustainable design and construction of wood modular co-housing developments. The adoption of high-performance techniques and materials into the building envelope facilitates the delivery of thermal efficiency.
We will visit the Agorahaverne project in Denmark built to play its part in the circular economy, resulting in a housing concept with the smallest possible CO2 footprint and the largest possible reusability. Brian Søndergaard Hansen, Technical Director of FlexModul and Morten Kudahl, Product Manager of Kliima, will visit the site project and FlexModul factory, sharing their experience, on the technology and best practices incorporated.
The building’s structure made from prefabricated CLT modules is characterised by eco-friendly, high-quality solutions. This project will demonstrate how energy-efficient components can improve buildings’ energy performance.
Guests: Morten Kudahl, Product Manager at Kliima
Martin Wagner, Head of Marketing and Communication at Tetris
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 6 <<
EPISODE 7: Adopting Innovative Manufacturing Techniques - Offsite LGS Structures | April 21
The seventh episode will focus on the sustainability benefits of light gauge framing and precision of the offsite manufacturing process, in designing and building high-performance.
We will explore the life cycle of a unique multi-unit regenerative project in Ireland - Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway, where the focal point is protecting the natural woodlands through carbon-neutral construction.
The co-hosts along with Accelerator will visit the Framespace factory and site. Paddy Mahon, Head of Design and Engineering and the team will talk about the innovative solutions and techniques used in the production of the 16 units, based on light gauge steel assemblies, covering the factors that contribute to the delivery of fabric energy performance, thermal efficiency, and reduced carbon footprint.
A real perspective on the process from start to finish – in-house design, completely off-site manufactured weathertight panels, installation, assembly, and project scalability.
Guest: Paddy Mahon, Head of Design and Engineering at Framespace Solutions
>> WATCH RECORDED VIDEO OF EP. 7 <<
EPISODE 8: Project Kiss House - Challenging Design, Performance and Delivery | May 19
The eighth episode will focus on the innovation of a residential construction system, a timber component-based system, with each element best thought of as a collection of structural rules that result in components with variable dimensional values. Precision manufactured off-site and then assembled quickly on-site, the system streamlines the delivery of high-performance, low-carbon dwellings that are designed to achieve the Passivhaus standard.
Kiss House started with a vision of how housing could be delivered at scale if the optimal marriage of design, performance and delivery was achieved. As they prepare to deliver their first projects, the co-hosts along with Accelerator will talk to Carli Jordan - Managing Director at KISS House, Mike Jacob - Founder and Director at Kiss House, and Richard Green - Director at Easi-space about the myriad challenges faced, the problems they’re solving and the innovation along the way.
Guests: Carli Jordan, Managing Director at KISS House, and Richard Green, Director at Easi-space
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“This series is more than theory. It’s about the open sharing of knowledge and experiences in an interactive way based on video content and practicalities. It will showcase how great companies are working together to achieve passive building design and standards through best practices, sustainable solutions, and manufacturing processes,” Whiriskey said. “There's a need for shaping the construction industry to a bigger scale, and together with the Accelerator we have the ability to empower the low-carbon building industry.’’
