Announcing the "Building Performance Interactive", a UK/Ireland-based Miniseries

Mark your calendars: Passive House Accelerator is launching Building Performance Interactive, an 8-part monthly miniseries, on October 28 at 2pm BST (9 am ET).

Like the Passive House Showcase and Construction Tech, BPI will be free and virtual, 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 codes and policy goals of governments throughout the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

The program was developed as part of a collaboration with the Accelerator and Hugh Whiriskey and Iulia Potor of Ireland-based Partel, who both saw a need for more interactive programming to share lessons learned and best practices from the explosion of Passive House projects happening close to home. “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.

Whiriskey will serve as cohost of the series, along with Mike Jacob and Ben Adam-Smith. Jacob is a Reading-based chartered construction manager and cofounder 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, and lessons learned will be universal. Tradespeople, contractors, engineers, and architects from around the world will be able to tune in and learn about high-performance buildings live or watch episodes on their own time either on YouTube or the Accelerator’s site.

The first episode, Train-to-nZEB, will focus on the importance of developing hands-on programs to better educate the trades about high-performance building. To illustrate this point, the show will visit the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Centre to speak with Passive House luminary Tomas O’Leary. Tomas will provide a tour of the centre 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.

Future episodes will include:

• MMC - Offsite TF Construction from Start to Finish

• Waterproof breathable fabrics in low carbon EnerPHits at scale | UK

• Super Insulated Airtight PH Homes – TF Construction | UK

“The new 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.’’