I will be at ecobuild this year and am looking forward to chairing what promisses  be an excellent session on Passivhaus and low energy retrofit. The Passivhaus seminar stream is put together by the Passivhaus Trust and in previous years there has been standing room only in most sessions.

The speakers for this session are all pioneers and experts with real hands on experience.

Passivhaus Seminar Speakers:

Passivhaus: simplified design approach for new build schools
Nick Grant

Feedback and post-occupancy data on 20 near Passivhaus retrofits
Marion Baeli, Architect, Paul Davis and Partners

New build housing to Passivhaus – Lancaster Co-housing
Andrew Yeats, Principal Partner, Eco Arc

Design approach to Passivhaus retrofit of private housing
Bob Prewitt, Architect, Prewitt Bizeley Architects

The AECB annual conference is a real highlight in many a green building professional’s diary. Conference is a bit of a misnomer as it conjures up images of shiny suits and dreary presentations in lacklustre venues or expensive conference centres. Whilst Architects may dominate the delegate list there is a good smattering of builders, heating engineers, plumbers, electricians self builders to help keep it real.

This year we meet in Bradford in a new ‘environmentally friendly’ building which will no doubt be critically examined by delegates sniffing out greenwash. Architect Mark Elton once described the AECB conference as a bullshit free zone which is as good a summary as I can think of.

There will be presentations on most aspects of sustainable building and I will be trying to say something fresh about water and plumbing design with Cath Hassell of ech2o. I will also be doing a double act with Lee Fordham of Architype on the performance of the Passivhaus schools in Wolverhampton including lessons learnt and incorporated in the latest one, Wilkinson.

Alan Clarke and Andrew Farr’s presentation on ventilation should be very good ‘Goldilocks and the art of ventilation – not too much, not too little but just right’.

if that isn’t your thing then speaking at the same time is Architect Gernot Vallentin, one of several international guest speakers

Best check out the actual program for more details here

As part of the Sunday excursion at the 2013 International Passivhaus Conference my tour visited four projects including this very nice passivhaus school complex.

The school was designed by Baufrösche Architekten (Building Frogs Architects) and completed in 2010 at a cost of €17m. The total treated floor area (TFA) by Passivhaus methodology (useful internal area) is 5,540m2.

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Passivhaus Designer course in Plymouth!

Passivhaus is growing rapidly* and is becoming an essential skill for architects and consultants. Fast track your understanding and professional recognition with the CarbonLite Passivhaus Designer course. Two weeks of expert training from the UK’s leading Passivhaus practitioners, followed by an exam to become an internationally recognised Certified Passivhaus Designer.

Why take the CarbonLite course in Plymouth?

• Warm’s expertise on the doorstep, it’s an ideal opportunity share knowledge and contacts with the UK most experienced Passivhaus certifiers
• Visit Warm’s Passivhaus office refurb in action.
• Visit Totnes Passivhaus, one of the first UK Certified Passivhaus refurbishments
• Course based at the exciting and acclaimed National Marine Aquarium conference suite. Highly experienced trainers.

This course is written and taught by leaders in UK Passivhaus development: amongst others, Mark Siddall, Bill Butcher, Alan Clarke and Nick Grant not to mention our WARM staff who have supported over 200 buildings in low energy design, and are Passivhaus certifiers.

Date: 29th April-3rd May, 20th-24th May and exam 14th June.

Cost: £1999 + VAT for AECB members, (£2349 for non-members)

Can’t do the whole course? Why not take individual modules such as Introduction to Passivhaus? See the AECB website for details. Bookings can be made through Sophie Phillips on 01752 542546 or training@peterwarm.co.uk

*Ecohaus Internorm alone tell us they are quoting 450-500 passivhaus units within the next 12 months.