DesignPH Masterclass

Master using the designPH plugin for SketchUp. A step-by-step online course to design Passive House and Low Energy buildings using designPH

Special Launch Discount ending on 14.03.2022

Start Date

The designPH Masterclass is a self-paced online course and starts the moment you enroll.

Prerequisites

There aren’t any hard requirements. It is, however, highly recommended to have knowledge about the Passive House design principles and basic experience with PHPP.

No prior knowledge is needed with designPH or SketchUp.

Estimated Time

The course is structured in 6 Modules and includes more than 6 hours of video lectures. The additional time needed to complete all exercises is around 5 hours.

What is designPH?

If you are looking for software that calculates with high accuracy the energy efficiency of buildings, the PHPP is the best choice. Unfortunately, the software needs to manually enter a large amount of information that can often be mistaken. And here comes the designPH plugin for SketchUp developed by the Passive House Institute, which not only saves you a lot of time for the input of the information and for searching and correcting the errors but also calculates precisely the shading of your building for you. The simple and graphically oriented nature of the plugin will allow you to create 3D models and analyze the energy performance of your projects just within a few hours. You can use the preliminary energy balance results to optimize the building design, the shape and size of windows, balconies, overhangs, and shading devices of your buildings. This facilitates a more effective iterative design process, which will allow you to get an immediate idea of the building’s energy performance and rule out poorly performing design options early in the design stage. Once an optimal design is achieved, the 3D model can then be exported to PHPP for detailed design, refinement, and Passive House certification.

Course Overview

In the designPH Masterclass, you will learn how to use designPH for the design and certification of Passive House buildings. During the online course, you will be guided step-by-step through the building design process, from creating the 3D building model and analyzing it with designPH to exporting the model to PHPP. The course focuses on using designPH as an iterative design tool to achieve the Passive House criteria. You will learn how to use all functionalities of deisgnPH based on a case study project which you will build and analyze with designPH. At the end of the designPH Masterclass, you will be familiar with all the functions of the plugin and you will be able to start the input of your own projects, regardless of the building location, size, and type.
As designPH is a plugin for SketchUp, it is crucial to have in-depth knowledge on how to work in the SketchUp environment. Therefore, we have included a whole training module in the designPH Masterclass at which you will learn how to use SketchUp and help you streamline your workflow with designPH and SketchUp.

Course Objectives

Course Outcomes

Meet your course instructors

Learn from industry experts

Anton Dobrevski

Co-Founder, Certified Passive House Consultant & Trainer, Leed Green Associate

Anton became one of the youngest Certified Passive House Consultants in the world at the age of 16. He is also an accredited Passive House Trainer by the PHI and a LEED Green Associate. Anton graduated with a Master’s degree in architecture at the Delft University of Technology. Currently, he is designing and consulting multiple Passive House projects all over the globe. Anton is a passionate advocate of the Passive House Standard and his aim is to make the Passive House Standard accessible to people all over the world. In his spare time, Anton enjoys music, karate, yoga, and traveling.

Svetlin Dobrevski

Co-Founder, Passive House Certifier, Certified Passive House Consultant

Svetlin is Passive House Trainer, Consultant, and Certifier globally accredited by the Passive House Institute. He designed, built, and now lives in the first Passive House Classic in Bulgaria. Svetlin has been delivering Passive House Designer courses for over 10 years and he trained 250+ people from over 20 countries. He has 25+ years of experience in the building sector and worked on numerous Passive House projects all over the world. He was also a keynote speaker at the International Passive House Conferences in 2017 and 2018. In his spare time, Svetlin enjoys hiking in nature, fencing, and archery.

Course Curriculum

Welcome!
  • Welcome to the designPH Masterclass
  • Tips to improve your course taking experience
  • Download SketchUp
Module 1: designPH Introduction
  • Intro to Module 1
  • Install designPH
  • designPH activation and updates
  • designPH user interface
Module 2: SketchUp Basics
  • Intro to Module 2
  • Setting up SketchUp
  • Navigating in SketchUp
  • Drawing tools and fast buttons
  • Camera views, styles and sections
  • Groups and Layers/Tags
  • Components
  • Materials
  • Scenes
  • Exporting and importing 3D models
Module 3: Modeling your project in SketchUp
  • Intro to Module 3
  • Download the sample project files
  • Massing the opaque building envelope
  • Massing the transparent building envelope
  • Massing the TFA
  • Massing the shading elements
Module 4: Modeling with designPH
  • Intro to Module 4
  • Climate Zone
  • Assign properties to the opaque building envelope
  • Assign properties to the transparent building envelope
  • Assign Thermal bridges
  • Define TFA
  • Define Footprint
  • Assign Ventilation system and IHG
  • Geolocation
  • Shading objects
  • Designs of complex windows and facades
  • Organizing the model
  • Common mistakes
  • Tips and Tricks
  • designPH for the Southern hemisphere
Module 5: Analyze and Export
  • Intro to Module 5
  • Analyzing the model with designPH
  • Surface names in designPH
  • Exporting the model and importing it to PHPP
  • Making final PHPP adjustments
Extra Lessons
  • Import a 2D model (from AutoCAD)
  • Import a 3D model (from Revit)
  • Sample designPH files
  • designPH checklist
Congratulations!
  • Submit your sample project
  • Schedule your 30-minute Q&A call with us!
  • Course feedback

Bonuses

Get additional CP for the renewal of your CPHD/C certificate

Further Education Training

The designPH Masterclass is recognized by PHI as further education training for Certified Passive House Designers/Consultants with 14 CPs under the ID: K174_2021_NL. If you require a confirmation of completion please email: team@passivehouseschool.com

Get your designPH Masterclass certificate

What our course participants say about the course:

Claudia Loiacono

Claudia Loiacono

Architect and CPHD at Cowan Architects

"The designPH Masterclass is an essential resource for whoever wishes to develop proficiency in DesignPH and learn the most time-effective workflow strategy to coordinate/transfer sets of information across the three softwares used: PHPP, DesignPH, and Sketchup. The practical step-by-step approach allows the student to build their own accurate model, with a clearly structured method, examples, tips, and tricks. The chance to arrange a meeting with the organizers and discuss your own project is also a vital feature to get professional feedback on your own project."

designPH Masterclass

Master using the designPH plugin for SketchUp. A step-by-step online course to design Passive House and Low Energy buildings using designPH.

$247 excl. tax

€249 excl. tax

Or 3 monthly payments of €97 per month (excl. tax). Click here to set up your payment plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

If your questions aren’t covered below, you can send us a message.
Is designPH included in the course price?

No. However, if you don’t have designPH, when registering for the course, at the checkout, you can add the latest version of the designPH software to your purchase.

Who is this course for?

This course is for ALL building professionals working on the design and construction of Passive House and Low Energy buildings and want to streamline their Passive House energy modeling. If you want to spend more time designing and less time modeling, if you want to be able to assess the energy performance of early design options without spending too much time and effort, and if you want to certify your Passive House projects, this course is the perfect fit for you.

Which software do I need for the course?

For this course, you will need designPH v2.0 (or later), SketchUp Make (free version) or SketchUp Pro (paid version), and PHPP v9.6 (or later).

Do I have to know how to work with SketchUp?

No! We have a whole dedicated module in the course in which we teach you how to use SketchUp even if you have 0 experience with the software.

Is this course part of the PHPP Expert course?

Yes! The designPH Masterclass is part of the PHPP Expert course organized by the Passive House School.

Is this course accredited by any institution?

Yes! The designPH Masterclass is recognized by PHI as further education training for Certified Passive House Designers/Consultants with 14 CPs under the ID: K174_2021_NL. If you require a confirmation of completion please email: team@passivehouseschool.com

What is the time commitment and schedule for the class?
The course is structured in 6 Modules and includes more than 6 hours of video lectures. The additional time needed to complete all exercises is around 5 hours.
As all lectures are pre-recorded, the online course starts the moment you enroll. You can complete it at your own pace and work through it as fast or slow as you wish. For those of you who prefer to follow a structured program, we created 2 course schedules that you can follow to complete the course depending on how much time you want to spend per week. After you enroll in the course, you will have lifetime access to all lectures and future updates.
Are classes live? Do I have to log in at a specific time?

The designPH Masterclass is a self-paced course and all lectures are pre-recorded. You can complete it in your own time and work through it as fast or slow as you wish.

Do I get a discount as a student or an iPHA Member?

Students and iPHA members get a 10% discount.


If you are an iPHA Member, please send an email to team@passivehouseschool.com with a link to your iPHA membership to provide you with a discount code.


If you are a student, please send your proof of enrollment to team@passivehouseschool.com from your student email address.

Can I get an invoice for my purchase?

You will receive a receipt for your purchase which is tax compliant and can be used for claiming business expenses. For this, you have to enter your business details and VAT number (if applicable) on the checkout and you will receive your receipt via email after enrolling in the course.

If you live in a country where an invoice is required by law, the platform we use for our courses (teachable) will issue an invoice in PDF format for your purchase. If an invoice is not required by law, you will receive a receipt for your purchase.

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