Radically improving the efficiency and comfort of New Zealand buildings

"Being in the building industry for so many years, I am often struck by the complexity of what we do. We are problem solvers and home builders. Understanding the science behind how a building performs is crucial to both the integrity and longevity of a structure. What happens when cold air meets warm, the importance of breathability and ventilation, heat retention, energy use. What the Passive House Tradies Course gave me is a foundation that took my understanding to the next level. It is a lightbulb moment for anyone serious about building."

-Sam Walker[Self Employed Builder] Tradesperson Course Participant

"I am a builder and the director of Down to Earth Construction in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. After completing a retrofit using Passive House principles, my interest in high performance homes grew. The course ran over 4 weeks, and while it was full-on fitting it into my busy schedule, it was very achievable. The live sessions were run by a knowledgeable expert, and having the lesson recordings available meant I could revisit topics until I fully understood them. I now view building components with a much clearer understanding of what it takes to create healthier, higher performing homes. This is something I feel confident recommending to clients, and it no longer feels like an unachievable goal.I would highly recommend this course to anyone serious about sustainable, future proof construction."

- Jacob Stallman[Down to Earth Construction] Tradesperson Course Participant

"I have been involved with building high performance homes for the past ten years and I wanted something to recognise my skills and knowledge. The Passive House trades person course has confirmed to me the knowledge I have is correct and also gave me extra skills to analyze buildings and materials to determine suitability of use in high performance buildings which is exactly what I was hoping it would do. It was also great to converse with professionals from the industry who are also passionate about building better in NZ!"

-Andrew Smith[BCITO] Tradesperson Course Participant

"Attending the course gave me an initial insight into the science of how buildings perform over their lifespan. It clearly unpacked the comparison between how poorly a code compliant house performs compared to an airtight properly ventilated home. I have gone on to build a passive house for a client, which has now led to many other opportunities in the high performance, energy efficient sector. It was all kick started by the course offered by Sustainable Engineering."

-Sam Rosoman[Optimum Build] Tradesperson Course Participant

"As a Structural Engineer, my background is often rooted in numbers. However, this course offered valuable insight into the broader project context and highlighted how I, as the Structural Engineer, can collaborate with other disciplines to deliver a seamless solution. The online course was well-organized and smoothly facilitated by Jessica, with ample tutorials and support sessions to help grasp key concepts when needed."

-Nitish Deo[Struct-Eng Design Solutions Ltd] Tradesperson Course Participant

As a certified Passive House Consultant, I was originally interested to know what the tradies learnt. However, I enjoyed this course far more that the Designer / Consultant courses, due to its practical content. Being a Civil engineer, I love the maths and physics, but this is not for everyone and not everyone needs a full on first principles practice session. I was so impressed, that I have taken to recommending this course over the designer/consultant courses, because for most people, sufficient theory and practical skills are gained on this course to start them on their Passive House journey. Really, that is what this training is all about; a beautiful base of basic building science, to build better buildings.

- Damien McGill[The Healthy Home Cooperation] Tradesperson Course Participant