The North American Passive House Network (NAPHN) is leading the transformation of the building industry to low-energy, high-performance Passive House design and construction. We support the widespread adoption of the international Passive House design and construction standards, building science principles, and protocols.
A non-profit educational organization – NAPHN’s work is internationally recognized. NAPHN is focused on the inflection point between policy and implementation. We partner with leading stakeholders across all building sectors, including governments, professional associations, manufacturers, owners, builders, labor organizations, and educational institutions – to make the transformation complete.
Our Vision:
A sustainable, post-carbon, all-renewable energy future – supported by buildings that are efficient, comfortable, affordable, resilient and healthy.
Our Mission:
The transformation of the built environment, using the tools developed by the Passive House Institute, in a critical effort to combat global warming. We provide training, conferences, and other events to both engage and educate design and building professionals, policymakers, and the general public. We support the success and vitality of the Passive House community.
Our Values:
Our values are calls to action, making our work itself, inseparable from the world we are working to make.
- Be Curious – striving for continuous learning
- Be Inspired – maintaining a sense of wonder
- Be Visionary – imagining the future
- Be Bold – calling for urgency and action
- Be Celebratory – infusing effort with joyful promotion
- Be Collaborative – making a welcoming & equitable community
- Be Professional – working with integrity and transparency
If you share these values or will challenge yourself to live up to them to the best of your ability – join us!
NAPHN Structure:
A Nonprofit:
NAPHN is a nonprofit 501c(3) corporation with an independent Board of Directors. The organization bylaws are here – and the conflict of interest policy is here. There are board committees that help organize and govern NAPHN, and current committees and members are listed here. NAPHN has a formal commitment to gender and racial equity in its governance. See the current policies on board composition, here.
Transparency:
We are proud to have achieved the Bronze level GuideStar Seal of Transparency. See our GuideStar profile.
Chapters:
NAPHN Chapters are wholly part of NAPHN. Chapters are led by Chapter Leaders based on a standard Leader Agreement. Chapters are governed by a Chapter Governance Document.
iPHA:
NAPHN is also a member of the International Passive House Association, part of the Passive House Institute, based in Darmstadt, Germany. See the affiliation agreement here.
Non-Board Committees:
Non-Board Committees include a Technical Committee, to assist North American practitioners in overcoming common technical hurdles and to encourage the broader adoption of the Passive House standard in North America. See the Technical Committee Charter Document.
Two Passive Houses?
For over 26 years the Passive House Standard has been the state-of-the-art scientific foundation of high-performance and net-zero buildings, around the world. Training qualified professionals is an essential prerequisite for successful Passive House construction. Basic training can be toward becoming a Certified Passive House Designer, Consultant, or Certified Tradesperson. Specialized technical training is also available. NAPHN is dedicated to accelerating Passive House training across North America. Why Are There Two “Passive Houses”? Many are confused about how or why PHI and PHIUS are both promoting “Passive House” but do it separately. This short description aims to help clarify the situation while answering some basic questions. The document is in pdf format here.