Passive House Lunch & Learn Sessions for Architects and Builders
Talk high-performance windows with our team over a healthy lunch. We offer a 60-minute PHI accredited session on triple-pane window and door systems for professionals, held at our Oakville showroom, at your office or online.
Schedule a Lunch & Learn for your team
Tell us about your firm, how many people will attend and which format suits you. Use the topics field to list the questions your team wants answered, and we will get back to you to arrange a date.
An hour on the part of the envelope that is hardest to get right
Windows are usually the weakest part of a well-insulated wall. A Passive House or Net Zero design can have an excellent wall assembly and still miss its targets because of frame losses, a poorly chosen glazing unit or an installation joint that leaks air. Our Lunch & Learn helps design and construction teams avoid those problems.
The session lasts 60 minutes and is PHI accredited. It is presented by the InterHaus team, whose product specialists come from architecture and construction, and focuses on the high-performance triple-pane window and door systems we supply: Internorm uPVC, uPVC/aluminum and wood/aluminum windows and lift-slide doors, alongside Passive House certified all-aluminum systems from Schüco and Reynaers.
The format is relaxed. You chat with our team over a healthy lunch, and the questions your current projects are raising shape the discussion.
Three ways to attend
Choose the format that suits your team’s schedule and location.
At our Oakville showroom
Hold the session at 217 Speers Rd. Unit 8, among full-size Internorm windows and doors. Your team can open the sashes, inspect the gaskets and hardware, and compare frame materials as we talk.
At your office
We come to you, so the whole team can attend without travelling. This format works well when you want to discuss a live project with the drawings on the table.
Online
A remote session for teams spread across several sites or based outside the Greater Toronto Area, with time set aside for questions.
Subjects the session can cover
Each session is shaped around your team. These are subjects it can draw on; tell us on the form which ones matter most to your work.
What makes a Passive House window
How the Passive House Institute certifies window components, and how frame, glass and spacer combine into the Uw value. The Internorm KF 410 reaches as low as 0.62 W/m²K.
Frames and gaskets
Six-chamber uPVC profiles, aluminum weather shells and timber interiors, and why Internorm fits three layers of gaskets for airtightness and sound reduction.
Glazing build-ups
Triple and quadruple glazing, argon and krypton gas fills, warm-edge spacers and safety glass, and how each choice affects heat loss and comfort.
Condensation and comfort
Why warmer interior glass prevents condensation and cold radiation, and what that means in Ontario winters that frequently drop below –20°C.
Installation and airtightness
How the connection between window and wall preserves airtightness, and which site details deserve the most attention.
Large openings
Lift-slide doors, frameless fixed glazing and all-aluminum systems such as the Schüco AWS 90.SI+ and Reynaers MasterLine 10 in PHI certified configurations.
Shading and control
I-tec Shading blinds between the panes, powered by a built-in photovoltaic module and battery, as a way to manage solar gain.
Security and hardware
Concealed I-tec Secure locking up to RC 3 and multi-point locking hardware that leaves sightlines clean.
Certified components, accredited content
The session is grounded in certified systems and recognised Passive House standards rather than marketing claims.
PHI certified components
Internorm window systems such as the KF 410 are certified by the Passive House Institute in Germany, which sets strict thermal insulation and airtightness requirements for windows.
Passive House training
The 2024 PHT endorsed training (Intermediate) mark appears on InterHaus’s Passive House materials, and the Lunch & Learn itself is offered as a 60-minute PHI accredited session.
Certified aluminum options
For slim aluminum frames, the Schüco AWS 90.SI+ and Reynaers MasterLine 10 are available in Passive House Institute certified configurations.
Why windows deserve an hour of your team’s time
In Canada’s climate, a window has to do far more than meet a minimum. Standard North American windows often range from 1.2 to 2.0 W/m²K, and many standard triple-pane units sit between 0.9 and 1.4 W/m²K. Passive House windows go below 0.8 W/m²K. That difference decides whether occupants can sit beside the glass in January, and how hard the furnace or heat pump has to work.
Data-sheet numbers only hold if the window is specified and installed correctly. The session connects the product data to the drawings your team produces and the details your builders build, so performance is not lost between design and site.
For teams new to Passive House, it is a practical introduction. For experienced teams, it is a chance to go deeper into specific systems, compare frame materials and work through a current project with people who supply and install these windows.
What your team leaves with
The aim is that everyone in the room can make better window decisions on their next project, whether they draw the details, write the specification or build the openings.
Because the session covers several systems, it is also a straightforward way to see how Internorm, Schüco and Reynaers options compare for a given building, without committing to any of them.
- A clear picture of what qualifies a window as a Passive House component, and why
- The questions to ask of any window data sheet: whole-window Uw, glazing build-up, gasket design and locking
- An understanding of where installation affects airtightness and thermal performance
- Routes to drawings, specification sheets and certificates through our trade portal
- A direct contact at InterHaus for project questions and quotes
How booking works
- 01
Send the form
Tell us your firm, team size and preferred format, and list the topics or projects you want to discuss.
- 02
We confirm the details
We get back to you to agree a date and time, the location or online arrangements, and the focus of the session.
- 03
The session
Sixty minutes with our team, over lunch when we meet in person, with time for your questions.
- 04
Follow-up
Afterwards your team can register for our trade portal for drawings and data, and contact us for project support or a quote.
Who the session is for
The Lunch & Learn is for professionals: architects and architectural technologists, interior and building designers, builders and site supervisors, developers, and energy or Passive House consultants. Mixed teams tend to get the most from it, because window decisions cross the line between design and construction.
You do not need to be working on a certified Passive House project to benefit. The same principles apply to Net Zero homes, high-performance custom homes, multi-unit residential buildings and energy retrofits, all of which depend on windows that keep heat in and air out. A session is particularly useful at the start of a first certified project, or before a team specifies a system it has not used before.
To see the products and projects before you book, browse our Passive House page or the project gallery.
Lunch & Learn questions
Sixty minutes, so it fits comfortably into a lunch hour.
At our Oakville showroom at 217 Speers Rd. Unit 8, at your office, or online.
Yes, it is a PHI accredited session. If you need it to count toward a professional association’s continuing-education requirements, check that body’s rules before booking and mention it on the form.
In-person sessions are held over a healthy lunch, so your team can talk with ours in a relaxed setting.
It focuses on the high-performance triple-pane window and door systems we supply. That is mainly Internorm, but we can also cover the Passive House certified all-aluminum systems from Schüco and Reynaers if they are relevant to your work.
Not necessarily. It helps to tell us your team’s experience with Passive House and any systems you already specify, so we can pitch the session at the right level.
Yes. Mention it on the form. Working through real openings and details is often the most useful part of the hour, especially at your office where the drawings are at hand.
Bring Passive House window expertise to your office
Book a 60-minute PHI accredited session for your team, or call +1 (437) 826-2067 to talk it through with us first.