Become a Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant

Learn to design energy-efficient, comfortable, fully controllable houses – for any climate.

Home|Passive House courses for Designers and Consultants

About this certification

The Passive House movement is transforming the way Australians live. By becoming a certified Passive House designer you will help lead this trend and deliver healthy, sustainable, energy-efficient homes and offices to your clients. Along the way, you will be doing your bit to help address climate change.

This certification is aimed at architects, building designers, engineers, contractors, builders, policymakers, salespeople, and teachers. It provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of high-performance buildings, nearly Zero Energy Buildings and the Passive House approach. Sign up for the Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package to purchase all the courses required at a reduced rate.

The Smart Plus Academy is Australia’s leading provider of Passive House education and founder Daniel Kress has helped to educate more than half the certified designers in the field in Australia.

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The Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package

True mastery of a subject comes from understanding the theory and having the practical skills needed to put it to use. At Smart Plus Academy, we understand this. Our Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package is designed to help you gain internationally recognised accreditation through the Passive House Institute, Passive House’s world governing body. It also provides you with the grounding necessary to design comfortable, energy-efficient homes.

We’re so confident that the package will help you achieve Passive House certification that we offer a certification guarantee. If you don’t pass the exam after three attempts, we will take that as a failure on our part and refund your exam fee. (Note that conditions apply and the guarantee applies only to students who have completed The Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package, not individual components.)

Smart Plus Academy
Complete Passive House Certification Package

Attain complete mastery of Passive House design with all the courses and exams needed to achieve certification in one package. Includes a certification guarantee.

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PaLaMa Pre-Course for Designers

Gain an understanding of the terminology of Passive House and the key mathematical principles behind the movement.

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Certified Passive House Designer Course

Learn the principles of Passive House and how to apply them to your projects in any climate zone. Gain the knowledge necessary to achieve certification.

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Passive House Designer Exam Prep Course

Consolidate your knowledge and give yourself the best possible chance of passing the certification exam with this preparatory course.

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Passive House Consultant/Designer Exam

Complete your Passive House journey and achieve certification by sitting the final exam. Available face-to-face or remotely online.

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Teachers

Daniel Kress

Daniel started his career in the construction sector as a carpenter employed on sites in his native Germany. He next worked in Ireland on what was then the world’s biggest modular residential project. After 10 years on the trades side of building, Daniel completed a Master of Civil Engineering and worked as a researcher on EU sustainable building projects.

Daniel has been based in Australia since 2015, and in 2017 he founded the Smart Plus Academy. His vision is to help build a more sustainable construction sector and to promote dwellings that are comfortable and liveable while using minimal energy.

Daniel is a Certified Passive House trainer and through his work at the Smart Plus Academy and other institutions has helped train more than 50 per cent of the certified Passive House professionals in Australia today. Daniel’s philosophy is to “inspire and lead with passion and love” and “to contribute to society through teaching that inspires growth”.

Julia Kiefer

After studying architecture in her native Germany, Julia moved to Australia in 2006. She then worked for leading architectural practices in Melbourne, Perth and Darwin, along the way gaining an understanding of Australia’s different geographic zones and the extremes of its climate.

Deeply passionate about sustainability and energy-efficient building design, Julia graduated as a Certified Passive House Designer in 2018. She has since made it her mission to bring about change in the building sector and to educate Australians about comfortable, healthy and sustainable living spaces.

In 2020, Julia joined Smart Plus Academy as assistant Passive House trainer. She now educates building professionals across Australia about the Passive House standard.

Alex Slater

Alex holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Melbourne and is passionate about sustainable construction and the architecture that enables it. He began working in the sector in 2010 as an architectural draftsman and has since worked as a designer, sustainable design consultant and architectural tutor. Alex is committed to building a better world for everyone and has been involved in a range of charitable pursuits, including the Cambodian Kids Foundation and Feeding the Needy.

Alex has been a certified Passive House designer since 2018 and joined the teaching staff of Smart Plus Academy in 2021.

Course details

Prerequisites

This course is intended for anyone involved in design and planning who wishes to gain Passive House certification. The standard of teaching and coursework is approximately university level.

A solid understanding of basic design and construction principles is recommended. There are no academic prerequisites, but potential students should be self-motivated and able to undertake independent study and material review.

Materials Required for class

This course is conducted remotely with students participating and accessing study materials via the internet. It is the responsibility of students to ensure they have an adequate data connection. Speeds of 3 MBPS are required for the online course and 16 MBPS are required for the final online exam. Students need to supply their own PC or Mac computer. Other materials required include: a scientific calculator and black A4 two-ring binders.

It is recommended that students have coloured pens, post-it notes, plus web camera and microphone capabilities in their device.

Materials provided for class

In addition to having access to live sessions, students will be given access to session recordings in which Academy founder Daniel Kress explains Passive House principles and answers questions. Students can watch and re-watch these as required, at a time that suits them. The slides used in the course will be provided as a printed workbook, with free delivery available across Australia. Handouts and exercises are provided in a downloadable PDF format to allow students to print and complete them multiple times if desired. Both workbooks and printed handouts will be required for the final exam.

Passive House Planning Package Software (PHPP) is essential for exam registration. Each student undergoing the exam must have a personal PHPP registration number. (Included in Package price)

Is this course for you?

This course is aimed at architects, building designers, engineers, contractors, builders, policymakers, salespeople and teachers. i.e. anybody in building design or engineering.

(This course is suitable for owner builders wanting to learn more about Passive House. However, sitting the final exam is not recommended or necessary for individuals who do not plan to work in the building sector.)

Access

The Passive House Designer Certification Course runs over eight days, during which time students have live access to teachers. Teachers will also be present during the exam.

The Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package
Students are further supported via pre-recorded and printed materials including session recordings, webinars, online introductory courses, downloadable homework exercises and mock exams.

Your Journey with us

Our approach to Passive House education involves

supporting students before, during and after their studies

and ensuring each individual proceeds at a pace that is right for them.

Here’s how your Passive House journey might take shape:

Reach out

Are you keen to learn more about the options for studying Passive House Design? Reach out and register your interest, so we can answer all your questions. You can also make an appointment to speak to one of our team.

Register your interest

Book your Certification Package

Once you have decided to begin your Passive House certification journey, the next step is to book a course date that works for you. The SPA team will provide the support you need including arranging your exam dates and providing you with immediate access to online resources.

Book your Certification Package

Enjoy pre-course access

The learning begins as soon as you commit to undertaking a course. Once you have paid your deposit, you will be given access to the Smart Plus Academy learning centre, an online database. Watch a webinar or take an introductory course to put yourself in the best possible position to benefit from your course.

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Complete the ‘Passive House Language and Mathematics’ (PaLaMa) pre-course

Mastering any new field of knowledge means coming to terms with new concepts and terminology. The PaLaMa pre-course aims to familiarise you with a variety of Passive House terms and key mathematical principles.

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Complete the certification course

Learn the principles of Passive House and how to apply them to projects in any climate zone through our intensive eight-day certification course. We make the process as easy as possible by providing practical tools and practice exercises. More than 95 percent of our students pass the certification exam set by the Passive House Institute, the international governing body for Passive House.

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Prepare for your exam

It can be hard to know what to focus on when preparing for an exam. Smart Plus Academy makes subject review easy with a preparatory course that helps you identify the key areas of knowledge that will be tested in the exam – and ensures you understand them. It’s one of the reasons we have helped hundreds of professionals to achieve certification.

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Sit the exam

The certification exam is academically rigorous, and you will need to work hard to pass. Smart Plus Academy helps by ensuring you have the tools needed to pass, including our handy Passive House formula sheet. We pride ourselves on the standard of our education. If you fail to achieve certification after three attempts, we will give you your money back. Terms and conditions apply.

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Join the Smart Plus Community

The Passive House movement is gaining enormous traction in Australia. As you put your new skills into practice by designing and building sustainable, energy-efficient dwellings you will find yourself supported by the wider Passive House community. Meet up with other graduates to share experiences and collaborate on projects.

Join the Smart Plus community

Continue your education

The most inspiring design professionals are those who remain hungry for knowledge throughout their careers. Now that you are certified, continue your Passive House education with our mastery courses and study options.

PHPP course
designPH COURSE

Smart Plus Academy:
Australia’s leading provider of Passive House education
Supporting the Passive House community – and the planet

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What our students say

EXCELLENT Based on 20 reviews.
Matt Garrell
Matt Garrell
2021-03-17
Verified
Excellent and detailed training on Passive House concepts, standards, and design. Tons of information packed into 8 days of learning across 2.5 weeks. I feel so much more informed on high performance design and material characteristics than before I took the course. Be prepared to make space in your regular schedule for the amount information that is packed into this timeframe
Jackson Digney
Jackson Digney
2021-03-16
Verified
Leading the way in providing online education in Passive house! Great content delivered well, with a ton of additional resources provided as you go to help make sure you really understand what you have learned and can apply it in the real world!
ianrobertson2010
ianrobertson2010
2021-03-16
Verified
Top Notch...
Astrid Kandiah
Astrid Kandiah
2021-02-24
Verified
The PH designer course was fantastic. Daniel and Julia are passionate and knowledgeable. I felt very inspired after this course, and very well prepared for the exam.
James Ind
James Ind
2021-02-03
Verified
Although there is a lot of information to consume in a short period of time Daniel and Julia teach the passive house principles in a way that is easy to understand. The homework and exam preparation were key factors in being able to retain the information being taught.
Charith Siriwardana
Charith Siriwardana
2021-02-02
Verified
Daniel and his crew is doing an excellent job delivering Passive House knowledge to building industry professionals. I have done my passive house designer course in Nov-Dec 2020 and their help to prepartion for the exam was tremendous. They are not running courses for us to get through exams and leave. Daniel is creating a community by bringing his previous students to the class and let us talk to them and share knowledge. It's one big family we can share the knowledge and help each other so we don't have to figure out everything after the course. Really appreciate his passion to make our built environments more sustainable and efficent. Thank you so much for all your support to become a Pssive House Designer.
Nina
Nina
2021-02-02
Verified
A truely enlightening course. A huge amount of information is taught within a tight timeframe, by a passionate and experienced team.
Henrik Ender
Henrik Ender
2021-01-17
Verified
The SmartPlusAcademy PH Designer course prepares you well for the world of building physics and for understanding PHPP, the software for the very detailed Passive House standard. A year after the course, I am rediscovering my own course notes, refreshing forgotten facts.
Isaac Tyson
Isaac Tyson
2020-12-29
Verified
Daniel, Julia and their team run a very well organised program that gives you The best chance to conquer the passive house knowledge and understanding to pass the exam! It is delivered with a passion and enthusiasm that stems from knowing how big the benefits of Passive House are for the health, comfort and costs of being human and living in a house! Your brain, Business and planet will benefit from what you can learn here. Highly recommend!!
Ferdinand Tonscheidt
Ferdinand Tonscheidt
2020-12-29
Verified
Very knowledgeable and experienced teachers, as well as friendly and quick responding staff. What more can you ask for in an education provider! Can recommend their courses to anyone really!

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How it works

1. Book The Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package

2. Arrange your dates with the SPA team

3. Complete the course

4. Lead your industry

Save on your tuition fees and receive a certification guarantee by booking The Complete Passive House Designer Certification Package now.

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