Local Chapter Event Jun 2026: Canterbury
Event details
Panelised Prefabrication of Passivhaus / Passivhaus for Tradies
This month we return to our familiar base with a double header event.
First up we have Johann Betz, founder and director of Offsite Design talking about Panelised Prefabrication as an enabler of Passivhaus at scale.
Johann has worked as a tireless advocate for off-site manufactured construction; he is a founding member of PrefabNZ (now called OffsiteNZ) and currently serving his third term as member of the board. Johann is a Certified Passivhaus Consultant.
Johann is presenting at the Australian Passivhaus Association conference; THRIVE and wants to give us a sneak preview of his presentation. He’d like to move Passivhaus beyond expensive one-off exemplars toward repeatable, mainstream and more affordable delivery, with his OSM3604 initiative. Come and hear the Why and the How.
Next, we’d like to give a shout out to all the Passive House Tradies. In July, Sustainable Engineering is running a Passive House Tradespersons Course at Ara.
If you’re interested in the practical side of Passive House, then this course is for you and it’s not just for tradies!
We’ll be having Jessica Winter introducing the course along with three builders discussing why they did their training and how that has benefited them since.
Dean James from Smith and Sons and Ben Calvin of Avenue Architectural Builders will be discussing their journey since they have become Certified Passive House Tradespersons, and Phil Tab of Baumann Builders has signed up for this years course and will discuss what he hopes to get out of it.
Dean James – Smith & Sons
Dean did his Passive House Tradesperson course in Auckland, with the last intake that Kara Rosemeier trained. He has since also completed that Passive House Retrofit Experts course too.
Dean is a true career builder having started his apprenticeship at 16 years of age. He completed his studies with an advance trade certificate in carpentry and joinery. Dean decided to take his newly found skills and explore the world, working in Alaska for two years and gaining further knowledge and experience working in a challenging environment and exposing himself to different materials and technical abilities. Come and find out about Dean’s Passive House experience.
Ben Calvin – Avenue Architectural Builders
Ben has a Bachelor of Commerce from Lincoln University and completed his Passive House Tradesperson’s course in 2027. Ben has recently completed a residential build targeting Passive House Classic Certification.
Date: 17 Jun 2026
Time: 4pm
Where: Two Thumbs Brewing, Manchester St, Christchurch
Everyone welcome!
