Construction Management, Passivhaus and Me

As a first-year student studying a BSc in Construction Management, my second semester focuses on Sustainability within construction. Over the course of two assignments, I was tasked with choosing a subject area to explore which interested me, and as a result, I opted for Passivhaus.

Being that Osborne had undertaken a number of Passivhaus projects over the years in partnership with Innovare, and my knowledge being relatively low at this point, I decided to contact Susan Schnadhorst, Osborne’s Group Sustainability Manager, to gain a better understanding of the concept, as well as her opinion on the potential barriers Osborne face in delivering such challenging projects.

After an enlightening conversation, Susan then made me aware of an opportunity to attend a UKGBC Passivhaus Masterclass which Osborne receive invitations to due to them being a Gold leaf member of the UKGBC. With my pending assignments, I jumped at the chance and enrolled. The course was led by professional architects and property developers who specialise in delivering Passivhaus projects in the UK and aimed to outline the basic principles of the standard, as well as discussing the barriers to its successful implementation.

As my assignments were to critically analyse these exact topics, I found the course to be invaluable for me to gain a good understanding of the requirements needed to deliver a Passivhaus project successfully. I was able to ask questions to people who have worked in this field for a number of years and know the standard inside and out. The course itself was expertly delivered and the wide range of attendees, from Project Managers to junior Architects, ensured a wide variety of questions were put to the professionals.

Overall, the course has helped me gain a better understanding of the Passivhaus standard and assisted me in producing a higher quality assignment than I may have done had I not had the opportunity. With Osborne having these opportunities on a regular basis, I will definitely be utilising these again in the future given the opportunity.

Chris Wyatt, Site Manager – Major Stations Retail Team