Connect research to reality.

Apply your Passive House classroom education to Emu’s unique hands-on Passive Pod Workshop. Open to all current Emu students and any PHI or PHIUS certified professional.

  • Trainers deliver high quality, unbiased instruction.

  • Brand neutral environment free of product plugs.

  • Hands-on learning of best practices & building science.

Meet Emu’s Passive Pod

Our textbook on wheels

We’ve spent years developing a proprietary instruction tool that allows our student builders to get their hands on the products and methods we discuss in class, with the support of research-backed advanced building science. The pods are designed to integrate with the learning objectives in our brand-neutral course. All product donated are done so by suppliers who know we will present the good, the bad, and the ugly, in an effort to encourage data transparency.

Welcome to the Gold Standard of Building Science

Each student team is assigned job roles to simulate a construction site, with documentation requirements that must be met.

  • Identify Red Flags

    Every section of the Passive Pod build coincides with lessons learned in class, red flags they must catch, and design flaws they must recognize.

  • Supervise for QA

    The team Site Supervisor oversees the work of the Air Sealing Sub and Window Installer, and reports the correct documentation for quality control.

  • Improve Communication

    The most important part of a Passive build is an integrated team. The Passive Pod Workshop is designed to reinforce that concept and point out where communication matters most.

Our Passive Pods are sponsorship-free.

No sales pitches or product plugs allowed. Just science.

We have the fortune of receiving product donations from the best of the best in the Passive House manufacturing world, and we give the students an opportunity to ask questions in a brand-neutral environment where science reigns.

Here are some of the manufacturers who donate product to our training, knowing full well that we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of each:

Alpen Windows
SIGA Cover
475 Building Supplies
Havelock Wool
Enersign
Johns Manville
Partel
Rothoblaas
Sensor Push
Vonderhaus
Zehnder
Zola
Advantage Architectural Woodwork
Rockwool

Speak with an Emu

Do you have more questions before you register? Connect with our team to get more information!

Speak to an Emu

FAQ

Passive Pod Workshop Questions

  • Are there any prerequisites to take the Passive Pod Workshop?

    YES, you will need to have completed the Emu CPHT course, online or in-person. Similar to how we would not recommend you start a Passive House construction site without a plan, we do not jump into hands-on training with a strong basis in the theory and common vocabulary. If you are already certified by PHI or Phius, we can evaluate you for the Workshop only. Please email [email protected]

  • If I have already taken the Emu course will I get anything out of the workshop?

    The Passive Pod workshop is an extension of what you learn in the our course. You will be taking that knowledge and putting it into practice with your own hands. Our students feel this solidifies the Passive Design/Build core curriculum into practical skills, while having fun and learning team building strategies.