The annual conference of the Passive House Institute U.S. takes place this year in Chicago and will feature educational sessions on topics ranging from affordable multifamily buildings and modeling software to rammed-earth construction and foam-free wall assemblies.

Workshop leaders include Joseph Lstiburek of the Building Science Corp.; water expert Gary Klein; Maine architect Chris Briley, co-host of GreenBuildingAdvisor’s Green Architect’s Lounge; Thorsten Chlupp, a building-science consultant in Alaska; Graham Wright, who leads research and development for PHIUS; building scientist William Rose; and a number of others.

Four separate tracks of workshops are scheduled on both Sept. 11 and Sept. 12. PHIUS also will announce winners of its juried design competition at the conference (the deadline for entry expires Aug. 25).

Pre-conference activities include PHIUS+ rater training on Sept. 9 and 10.

Katie Swenson, vice president of National Design Initiatives for Enterprise Community Partners, is the keynote speaker for the conference opening on Sept. 11. The following day, the lead speaker is Dr. Hartwig Kuenzel, who developed the WUFI modeling software. Sam Raskin, chief architect of the Building Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, wraps things up with closing remarks on Sept. 12.

Registration and pricing information is available at the PHIUS conference website.