Delivering large Passivhaus buildings: Site Supervisor & Construction Verifier training

The article presents the experiences and lessons learned from our Passivhaus Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier training courses.

The courses provide architects and engineers with the tools they need for delivering large and complex Passivhaus buildings, achieving certification and reigning in cost overruns. 

Large and complex Passivhaus buildings: reducing risk and reigning in cost overruns through practical online training

“Your course has saved me at least 20,000 € in construction costs”

This was the feedback we got from the developer of a small multi-residential building we consulted on, following the online Site Supervisor course we gave to his team. The building was developed, designed, and built by a team with no prior experience in Passivhaus and has now achieved Passivhaus Classic certification.

Lack of experience increases the risk of cost overruns during the construction phase- particularly in relation to the execution of the airtight layer and achieving the required result in the final Blower Door test. Our experience with Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier training is that the courses provide architects and engineers with the tools they need for successful site supervision and navigation of the certification process, and deliver important on-site savings for developers and contractors. 

Another client, FIATC Residencias, who are developing 7 elderly people’s residencies that are all aiming for Passivhaus certification, have made our Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier course obligatory for the contractors, installers, and design teams on each project, with 3 courses held to date. In the course satisfaction survey, one student reported:

“I particularly want to highlight how useful it was to get all of us who’ll be working on-site together on the course, including both civil works and mechanical and electrical contractors”. 

Bridging the gap between Passivhaus design and Passivhaus construction: online Site Supervisor & Construction Verifier training

According to the PHI database, as of 2023, there were over 700 certified Passivhaus Designers in Spain and over 1300 Passivhaus Tradesperson, compared with 195 and 25 respectively in Germany. This suggests that Passivhaus design and tradesperson training has got off to a good start in the construction sector.

However, despite extensive Passivhaus Designer and Tradesperson training, there is a clear knowledge gap when it comes to the construction and certification of large and complex Passivhaus buildings. This is where the official Passivhaus Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier courses come in: they are especially designed to fill that gap, helping contractors, installers, site managers and tradespeople in the successful execution of large and complex Passivhaus buildings, on time, on budget, and compliant with Passivhaus certification. 

While the courses can be taken by any construction professional, those with Tradesperson and Designer qualifications can acquire the Site Supervisor or Construction Verifier add-ons, if they take the course and pass the exam (shown in Figure 2). At the time of writing, we have held two exams, leading to the first qualified Site Supervisors and Construction Verifiers in Spain. 

The format used for the courses and for the exam is 100 % online, making an easier fit with on-site work and other commitments. Exam preparation includes an intensive on-line class, with review of the course content and question and answer time. The Site Supervisor exam must be completed in under 45 minutes, and the Construction Verifier exam in under 2 hours, both done online. 

Praxis uses proprietary course material, based on abundant practical examples of on-site situations using photographs and videos. During each course, there are always two trainers, one giving the content and another attending the live chat, launching surveys, and posting references to documentation on the online campus, where 77 technical articles, guides and how-to documents are available for reading and download. A forum in the online campus provides a space for participants to ask questions, exchange ideas, and generate debate. The participants on our courses are often from very different countries and technical backgrounds, providing a rich and diverse learning environment.The Site Supervisor course consists of 4 modules, while the Construction Verifier course includes 8 modules, with the courses held concurrently.

Summary of the modules for each course and their content

Every online session includes a guest speaker, presenting a specific technical issue relating to the module in question. Both during and at the end of each session, multiple choice questions are presented online to the students, to consolidate learning and generate debate and reflection. Each online session is also recorded and made available for watching offline, with attendees commenting that they found them to be a useful resource for reviewing and taking notes after the online classes. Additionally, and to provide networking opportunities, we offer site visits for all students, so they can see a Passivhaus building under construction in the month or two following the course.

Feedback

Each course includes on online student satisfaction survey. Some of the answers provide by students are shown below:

Filling the gap for a successful execution of large and complex Passivhaus buildings

Official Passivhaus Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier courses come in: they are especially designed to fill that gap, helping contractors, installers, site managers and tradespeople in the successful execution of large and complex Passivhaus buildings, on time, on budget, and compliant with Passivhaus certification. 

The growth in Passivhaus construction in Spain in recent years has been significant: in 2021, Spain was ranked 2^nd in the world after China, with the most square meters of floor space certified to the Passivhaus standard. Increasingly, larger, and more complex Passivhaus buildings are being designed or retrofitted, tendered and built by large “mainstream” contractors and installers who often have little experience in executing Passivhaus buildings. The Site Supervisor and Construction Verifier courses provide contractors, installers, site managers and tradespeople with the knowledge they need for the successful execution of large and complex Passivhaus buildings.

Dealing with heat waves: can I use the PHPP to size cooling equipment?

The issue of correctly sizing cooling equipment is key if we are to maintain thermal comfort, at low power

The article looks at using the PHPP for sizing cooling equipment and compares results with multi-zone calculations using dynamic simulation

Given ever more frequent heat waves and the increasing need for active cooling in Passivhaus residential buildings, the issue of correctly sizing cooling equipment is key if we are to maintain thermal comfort, at low power. Over-sizing of cooling plant adds unnecessary cost and energy consumption, increasing stress on power grids as they try and meet peak loads, especially under heat wave conditions. Under-sizing cooling plant will lead to comfort problems, failed expectations and a performance gap that Passivhaus buildings have been consistently shown to fill. Once the work has gone into creating a working PHPP model, can we safely use the tool to size cooling kit?

The article looks at using the PHPP for sizing cooling equipment and compares results with multi-zone calculations using dynamic simulation, based on a simple worked example of a completed and certified Passivhaus residential building in climate zone 5-Warm. The research was prompted by the (painful) lessons learned some years ago, when using the PHPP to size cooling equipment for a single-family low-energy home with Passivhaus components, without adequate modification of boundary conditions. The home had active cooling but suffered from overheating problems and complaints from occupants.

How does PHPP calculate cooling loads?

PHPP calculates sensible and latent cooling loads as the maximum daily average cooling power required to maintain the operative temperature set point, providing an average cooling load across the whole building, based on maximum daily average outdoor air temperature, dew point, sky temperature and solar radiation. Occupancy gains are typically based on a default setting (e.g., for TFA = 150m², occupancy ratio = 51 m²/p, occupancy = 2.9 people. 

How does a dynamic simulation tool calculate cooling loads?

Dynamic simulation tools allow for a multi-zone calculation based on hourly climate data, occupancy activity, and equipment operation, providing a time-dependent, high-resolution calculation of cooling loads. Typically, solar gains are calculated on an hourly time-step, and occupancy gains are computed dynamically, such that latent gains increase, and sensible gains decrease, as indoor operative temperature increases (people begin to sweat more as indoor temperature increases…). Is this level of accuracy really necessary, or can we use the PHPP to size cooling plant?

Which kind of tool should I use to size cooling equipment?

Finding the right answer to the question involves asking some the following questions: what building typology are we dealing with? What are the local short-term climate conditions, over 24 hours, during the hottest days? What is the occupancy density of the building, what are the internal heat gains and solar gains, and at what time in the day do they occur? Logically, a single zone, quasi-steady state calculation method such as the one found in PHPP, will be pushed to its limits for larger buildings and/or those with short-term peak gains derived from solar radiation, occupancy or equipment use, particularly if they vary greatly from one zone to the other.

Worked example: PHPP vs. dynamic simulation cooling load calculation for single-family home

Table 1 and Figure 2 shows peak cooling load results per zone, for a single-family certified Passivhaus in Mallorca, Spain, with a TFA of 170m², comparing a dynamic multi-zone calculation using DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus, with PHPP single-zone results. The PHPP climate file for the energy balancing calculations is ES0022b-Palma de Mallorca, but the climate file boundary conditions have been adjusted in the PHPP for the conditions shown in Figure 1 (derived from an hourly data set generated by Meteonorm v.7), with an outdoor air temperature of 38.1ºC and a dew point temperature of 27.2ºC (taken from the average 24-hour relative humidity of 54% @ 38.1ºC dry air temperature). The following adjustments were also made in the PHPP: the occupancy was increased to 10 people, the cooling set-point was reduced to 24ºC, and the solar factor of the glazing was increased by 5% (to eliminate the default soiling factor included in the Glazing worksheet), in agreement with the boundary conditions used in the dynamic calculation.

Figure 1: Climate conditions for cooling load calculation

Figure 2: Results of total cooling loads

The results shown in Table 1 and Figure 2 indicate a negligible 1% difference in the total average peak cooling load results at building level, between the dynamic multi-zone calculation and the PHPP results, suggesting that if the PHPP boundary conditions are modified from those used for building certification, the tool can be safely used for sizing cooling equipment for small residential buildings. This approach has been used on many projects of this type for many years with no complaints of overheating from occupants. However, if we look at peak cooling loads on a zone-to-zone basis, they vary by a + 68% (toilet) and -58% (corridor). While this has generally not been found to be a problem in practice in single-family homes, this suggests caution is required with larger buildings or for zones in smaller buildings with higher short-term peak gains (from solar radiation, occupancy or equipment use). Also, cooling distribution must be carefully planned to ensure specific zones don’t suffer from overheating and sufficient heat is removed from each zone.

Finally, the correct sizing of refrigeration equipment is important for the following reasons:

• Oversized cooling equipment leads to higher than necessary energy consumption and therefore increased energy bills.
• If cooling power is much higher than necessary, the setpoint temperature is reached earlier and the equipment shuts down (under orders from a thermostat, which only understands temperature, not humidity). This can lead to comfort problems due to excessively high indoor humidity.

Prefabricated passive houses, a cornerstone of Construction 4.0

Is it possible to build a prefabricated Passivhaus building? Of course it is!

Prefabrication or industrialised construction is emerging as one of the cornerstones of what is known as Construction 4.0

Spain was the country with the second most Passivhaus certified square metres in the world

Prefabrication or industrialised construction is emerging as one of the cornerstones of what is known as Construction 4.0. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the objective of this 4th Industrial Revolution is to ditch obsolete and traditional construction methods and improve productivity by more than 50%, through- among other things- the optimization of resources based on prefabrication, zero waste and circularity.

Alongside this, we have the growing trend of passive houses, or homes certified to the Passivhaus standard, a voluntary certification seal that prioritises maximum comfort and indoor air quality for users, with almost zero energy consumption. It is characterised by close attention to detail in the design phase and rigorous on site control to guarantee a high construction quality, and is based on 8 principles:

• Bioclimatic design
• Thermal insulation
• Air tightness
• Reduction of thermal bridges
• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
• High performance doors and windows
• Shading devices
• Efficient mechanical & electrical systems

The increase in the number of buildings with Passivhaus certification during the last 10 years is notable, reaching more than 3,86 million square metres of certified floor area in 2024. In 2020, Spain was the country with the second most Passivhaus certified square metres in the world, led by China.

The marriage of prefabrication with the Passivhaus standard seems a logical step to improve construction quality, reduce execution times and increase productivity. Let’s have a look at some of these together.

Prefabrication: What is it and how is it applied to construction?

Prefabrication or industrialization is the mass production, off site, of the construction elements of a building, transferring work that was previously carried out on site to a workshop or factory. It generally includes structural elements and thermal insulation, assembled in a series of modules such as slabs, façade walls, partitions or roofs. These modules are transported to the building site and assembled, like pieces of a puzzle to form the building.

Industrialisation opens up interesting possibilities, such as the off site installation of windows, external shading systems and some services such as electricity, waste water, ventilation or heating and cooling equipment, among others.

Advantages and drawbacks of prefabrication in passive houses

Advantages of prefabrication for passive houses:

• Rapid onsite assembly, allowing for quick weather-proofing and protection from rain and wind. This is especially important in timber construction, a material widely used in the construction of passive houses.

• Greater precision and build quality, essential for the construction of Passivhaus buildings, above all in relation to airtightness detailing and the sealing of windows and service penetrations.

• Less waste on site and a reduced environmental impact.

• Optimization of materials, through standardised production and off site assembly, reducing material waste and costs..

Some of the drawbacks:

• Detailed design of the project has to be fully complete before manufacturing and before on-site assembly begins, and allows for fewer or no modifications once on site. It should be noted that Passivhaus projects already require detailed design to be complete before beginning construction, and allow for very little on site improvisation anyway. 

• The time saved in assembling the prefabricated structure on site, is not always reflected in the total execution time of the building. Services, fittings and interior finishes continue to slow construction down.

• The size of the prefabricated elements is limited, in width and height, by the size of the transport trucks and the free height on the roads that connect the factory with the construction site.

Is it possible to build a prefabricated Passivhaus building? Of course it is! Below you can find some examples

LILU´s House: bio-based Passivhaus Plus

Passivhaus design and consultancy, for this single-family house in Abrera, Barcelona, designed by architecture firm OMB Arquitectura and built by House Habitat.

Single-family home in Sitges

Single-family home in Sitges Passivhaus design & consultancy, Blower Door Tests, M & E design, Site supervision Description Passivhaus design and consultancy, M & E engineering, and…

Learnlife Eco Hub: Passivhaus learning space

Passivhaus design & consultancy for a pop-up learning hub in Castelldefels, Barcelona, designed by the Learnlife team.

Original article written by Oliver Style and posted at caloryfrio.com