The principles of Passive House design were codified and systematized by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist, who founded the Passive House Institute (Passivhaus Institut) in 1996 in Darmstadt, Germany.

The Passive House Institute (PHI) has played an especially crucial role in the development of the Passive House concept. Today, PHI has assumed a leading position with regard to research on and development of construction concepts, building components, planning tools and quality assurance for energy-efficient buildings. Certification of Passive House buildings is based on quantitative performance targets and a series of requirements that maximize occupant comfort and health.

The Passive House Institute is constantly developing and improving upon algorithms and software tools for dynamic building simulations, the determination of energy balances and the planning of Passive House buildings.

PHI acts as an independent testing and certification center for buildings and building components such as wall and construction systems, windows, doors, connections, ventilation systems and compact systems.

More information on activities carried out by PHI can be found at passivehouse.com

Passive House Canada (founded in 2013 as Canadian Passive House Institute West) is the national professional association that advocates for the Passive House construction performance benchmark.

With their involvement, we can observe the rapid adoption of the Passive House Standard in Canada, not just among industry professionals wishing to build better for customers but from the authorities of all degrees recognizing the significant role that high-performance buildings play in reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Passive House Canada is currently a part of the North American Passive House Network, which also contains chapters across the U.S. The other proponent of passive construction strategies south of the border is Passive House Institute U.S., established in 2007.  Once a certifier for PHI, PHIUS currently has a separate standard, known as PHIUS+2015.

You can find more details regarding Passive House Canada at passivehousecanada.com

The Canadian Passive House Institute (CanPHI) is a registered non-profit educational company providing Canadians with the knowledge, resources, and confidence to design and build buildings meeting the world’s greatest and most confirmed degree of energy efficiency, and the global Passive House Standard.

Since 2010 CanPHI has led the way in Canada in the delivery of high quality, and intensive classroom training classes in Passive House design and construction, resulting in the internationally recognized Accredited Passive House Designer qualification.

CanPHI’s four directors are all qualified construction professionals (architects or engineers ) and they’re passionate about radically improving the standard of Canadian buildings.  Every one of them is now delivering Passive House projects in Canada, and all of them hold the elite Certified Passive House Designer qualification.

Since 2010 CanPHI trained over 500 Canadian contractors, engineers, architects, tradespeople, designers, planners, and homeowners in Passive House design and construction. CanPHI is determined to give help and build a solid Passive House community throughout Canada.

More info can be seen at passivehouse.ca