Passive House Standards & High-Performance Construction
March 19, 2026 | By Grace Bergen, CCCA
High-performance construction is increasingly expected of architects working on multifamily, commercial, and institutional buildings. However, many projects continue to underperform in terms of energy use, occupant comfort, and long-term durability due to gaps between architectural intent, enclosure performance, and construction execution.
This architect-focused course introduces the Passive House standard and high-performance construction as a design-driven framework rather than a prescriptive certification system. The session emphasizes how Passive House principles inform early architectural decisionsincluding building form, massing, enclosure continuity, and system boundariesthat have a disproportionate impact on building performance.
Rather than concentrating on specific products or compliance metrics, the course explores how integrated control of heat, air, moisture, and ventilation supports occupant health, safety, comfort, and building durability. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how Passive House differs from conventional energy-code approaches and how its core concepts can be applied during early design phases to reduce risk, improve constructability, and increase performance certainty, regardless of whether formal certification is pursued.
Luiz Bezerra is a Building Science and Building Envelope professional with experience supporting high performance building projects across North America. His work includes façade and enclosure consulting, third party reviews, and construction phase services for complex new and retrofit projects, including those targeting Passive House standards.
He collaborates closely with architects, engineers, contractors, and trades to translate building science into clear, constructible solutions that support design intent while improving durability, energy efficiency, airtightness, and long term performance. Luiz is particularly passionate about advancing high performance and resilient building enclosures through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Email vancouverisland@csc-dcc.ca for more information and to register
