New Zealand Passive House designers with suitable experience can now prepare for the PHPP Expert exam that grants official PHI-granted Expert status via a learning pathway developed by local experts at Sustainable Engineering Ltd.
The PHI-issued PHPP Expert seal signifies an advanced level of expertise. It is aimed at professionals who specialise in Passive House modelling, frequently model projects for other architects and who undertake complex projects.
The qualification attests to clients that a designer is able to assess intricate residential and non-residential buildings, execute step-by-step retrofits and use variant calculations to enhance a project’s energy efficiency.
The team at Sustainable Engineering, led by Jason Quinn, is made up of extremely experienced Passive House designers, certifiers, building science consultants and educators. Jason is the only Passive House designer in New Zealand to have earned the PHPP Expert seal to date. He gained this in March 2019, when the PHPP Expert exam was first offered by PHI.
Sustainable Engineering has developed a staged approach to learning (and recognition of prior learning) that thoroughly equips Passive House designers for the PHI Expert exam.
Passive House designers must demonstrate their knowledge and skills in three areas: advanced use of PHPP including EnerPHit and non-residential projects, confident use of DesignPH software and experience in modelling bespoke and advanced thermal bridges. These requirements can be demonstrated by successful completion of these courses taught by Sustainable Engineering: Advanced PHPP (including EnerPHit and non-residential modelling), designPH or PHiP and Advanced Thermal bridging; or in exceptional cases, via recognition of prior learning. They must also have successfully completed a PHI-certified Passive House project and ace homework assigned prior to sitting the Expert exam.
The Expert exam is tough, warns Jason. “And so it should be. It’s an internationally recognised credential and achieved by years of consistent work in Passive House design. Those designers in New Zealand and Australia that meet the criteria are invited to enrol for the exam. We plan to offer this opportunity once or twice a year, according to need.”
The first opportunity begins on 3 October 2024, with the assignment of homework. “This must be completed by the time examinees gather for a live, online class on 15 October, where I will run through the format of the test,” says Jason. “The exams are set by PHI and have quite an academic bent. Even experienced designers need coaching for the test so they can successfully anticipate the format of the questions and how the answers should be presented.” The exam is scheduled for 22 October and is restricted to those enrolled who submitted homework of a sufficiently high standard.
Underpinning courses
These courses have already been developed by SELtd and taught in the past 18 months:
Passive House In Practice (PHiP)
Develops the skills and confidence of newly qualified Passive House designers
Advanced Thermal Bridging
Aimed at newly qualified Passive House designers who want to start modelling non-standard thermal bridges for their projects. This gives more scope for bespoke architectural details or non-standard materials.
designPH Skills
An opportunity for experienced Passive House designers to dramatically improve their capacity in using DesignPH software, enabling much faster and in-depth modelling and accurate site shading calculations
Advanced PHPP (including EnerPHit and non-residential modelling)
This course was first taught in 2017 and has been substantially refined for live, online delivery in Sep/Oct 2024. Open entry but designed for Passive House designers who have modelled several projects and who are comfortable in PHPP. It will extend their skills and knowledge and covers retrofit and non-residential projects.
The Expert exam preparation has been timed to allow potential attendees to undertake the Advanced PHPP course prior.
Visit the Education section of this website for more detail on any of these courses.