Summer Comfort in a Warming World

Date: 10 September 2025	Time: 13:00 - 14:30
Location: Online	Cost: PHT member: £38+VAT, Non-member: £55+VAT

As UK summers grow hotter, passive design strategies are increasingly being tested, but are they enough? This webinar explores the emerging role of active cooling in UK Passivhaus projects and how to incorporate it without compromising performance.

While active cooling has long been part of Passivhaus design in warmer climates, it is a relatively new consideration for the UK. That’s why this session brings together expert speakers to explore how active cooling is modelled in PHPP, share practical strategies from UK and Mediterranean case studies, and highlight lessons shaping future UK Passivhaus Trust guidance on summer comfort.

The session also contributes to a broader effort to gather feedback from UK project teams on overheating and comfort challenges. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a dynamic Q&A, share experiences, and influence the direction of future support for the UK Passivhaus community. Don’t miss this chance to be part of the conversation on staying cool in a changing climate.

Programme

13:00	Welcome by chair Sarah Lewis, Passivhaus Trust
13:05	UK-based Passivhaus Certifier and MEP consultant, sharing current approaches from UK projects integrating active cooling approaches. Gwilym Still, Max Fordham
13:25	Offering a deeper technical dive into system choices, ventilation strategies, and modelling active cooling demand in UK projects. Alan Clarke, Passivhaus Consultant & Building services engineer
13:45	Drawing on Passivhaus projects in warm climates and insights from his recent papers on summer comfort, overheating, and system sizing. Oliver Style, Praxis Resilient Buildings
14:05	Panel Q&A Our speakers are joined by experts Nick Grant and Julie Godefroy for an interactive Q&A
14:25	Closing remarks

NB: Programme subject to change

Speakers & Panelists


Sarah Lewis Passivhaus Trust	Gwilym Still Max Fordham	Alan Clarke *Building services engineer*

Oliver Style *Praxis Resilient Buildings*	Nick Grant *Elemental Solutions & Chair of Technical Steering Group,* Passivhaus Trust	Julie Godefroy *Head of Net Zero Policy, CIBSE*