By Mary James

Small-group problem solving and networking is clearly an idea whose time has come for Passive House aficionados. In the UK the Passivhaus Trust has set up Passivhaus Client Clubs specifically to help coach social housing providers that are new to Passive House through their most difficult projects—namely, the first ones. The intention of the clubs is to provide online meetups for social housing clients during which their knotty questions can be addressed—particularly with regard to optimizing designs and costs—and ultimately to assist delivering Passive House at a large scale. 

Already 65 people have joined the clubs, and the feedback has been quite positive. "The Passive House client clubs are great. I attended one yesterday and had a really helpful follow-up meeting today that the team helped set up, and from that I’m really positive it will help progress our first passive scheme," enthused one participant. 

Chayley Collis, Passivhaus Trust’s policy and press associate explains that the clubs’ format is still evolving. “We have also just launched a private social media forum for members of the client clubs to continue their conversations,” she adds. Social housing providers who have not yet joined can sign up for the next sessions planned for September and November. As of now, the initiative is fully funded and is free for participants, but that may change in the future. Although the focus so far has been on social housing clients, that also may change. “We are starting with social housing, but the idea is definitely to roll this out for other groups, professions, or client types if the format works,” Collis notes.

According to Passivhaus Trust data, 1% of all new UK housing is aiming to meet the Passive House standard, assuming that 2,000 of the 8,000 residential projects currently in the Passive House pipeline will be completed each year. The Trust wants to see that percentage grow tenfold in 10 years and is counting on the Client Clubs to help achieve this ambitious goal.

Clearly the 1% target is still elusive in the U.S. However, the Accelerator is taking a similar tack to the Passivhaus Trust to drive that rate up more quickly. Its Reimagine Buildings Collective, which started in October of 2024, has weekly Ask Me Anything sessions with experts, and this week has just launched its Reimagine Summer Labs. Each Lab consists of a small group of peers who will meet three times over six weeks to share questions, insights, and practical strategies. The 50 participants who have signed up have had the opportunity to choose a Lab that is focused on one of the following topics: phased retrofits, fire-resilient design, nature-based performance, passive survivability, and selling Passive House. Each Lab will share its takeaways in the fall during a special episode of Passive House Accelerator LIVE, helping to spread the insights gained to a broader audience. As more of the Lab participants have signed up for the phased retrofit topic than any of the others, expect to hear some really interesting retrofit news in the fall.

Top image of Edwards Court in Exeter is courtesy of Exeter City Living. Learn more about this project by reading "Extra Care for Exeter's Elderly" below.