South West College (SWC) has announced that it will host delegates from 26 countries as part of an International Passive House Association (iPHA) camp taking place at its Erne Campus in Enniskillen from Monday, September 26 to Friday, September 30.

Enniskillen was chosen as the location for the prestigious event as the Erne Campus is presently the world’s largest Passive House Premium-Rated building in the world, and the first educational building to achieve the top accreditation.

Passive House is the fastest-growing standard in global construction, and visitors from Europe, the Americas and Australasia will spend a week learning about the building, and exploring other energy-efficient construction projects currently in development across Northern Ireland.

Support

In support of the iPHA programme of activities, SWC will also host a two-day ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference on Tuesday, September 27 and Wednesday, September 28.

The conference programme has been designed for local and national delegates, particularly those engaged in the public, local authority and education sectors.

Conference attendees will participate in a series of themed workshops exploring sustainable construction for both public and private sector buildings, transport sustainability, fleet management and strategy development.

Renowned industry speakers and academics will present a series of case studies and take part in interactive discussion panel sessions over the course of the two days.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council will be the principle strategic delivery partner for the Building a Sustainable Future Conference and iPHA Camp.

SWC’s Interim Chief Executive, Leo Murphy, said: “I am very proud that the International Passive House Association has chosen to host its camp in Enniskillen this year, where 100 of the world’s leading influencers in sustainable construction will be in attendance to learn about our Erne Campus, and to also share their knowledge on new and emerging practices that will transform the local and global [construction] industry.

‘A compelling bid’

“The team at SWC put together a very compelling bid to host the event, and this follows on from the presentations at the COP26 conference in Glasgow last November, and our membership of the United Nations’ High-Performance Buildings initiative.

“We also hope that representatives from the United Nations will be attending and speaking at the event in Enniskillen, which is sure to be unmissable.”

The Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Barry McElduff, said: “We very much look forward to welcoming delegates from all over the world to Enniskillen to see at first-hand the stunning landscape and unspoilt beauty of Fermanagh and the wider Council area.’’

Jessica Grove-Smith, Joint Managing Director, Passive House Institute and International Passive House Association, said: “We are very excited to come to Enniskillen for this stakeholder meeting of our closest partner organisations.

“During this camp, iPHA’s Affiliate organisation, as well as Passive House course providers and building certifiers from all around the world, will get together to strengthen our collaboration and efforts to grow and scale Passive House worldwide.

“SWC and its exceptional Erne Campus Passive House Premium is the perfect place to host this event.”

Dr. Barry McCarron, Chairperson of Passive House Ireland, said: “Being selected to host this prestigious iPHA camp with delegates from almost all of the member countries is an honour, not just for the college but for the wider region, and is a celebration of the work that SWC has been doing in the development of internationally-renowned sustainable buildings and the training of Passive House-accredited professionals.”

Registration is now open for the two-day ‘Building a Sustainable Future’ conference. The final programme and speaker line-up will be revealed through the conference website over the coming weeks.