designPH is the intuitive graphical interface for PHPP

designPH is an extension (or plug-in) for Trimble SketchUp, which provides a 3D interface to the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), the definitive low-energy building calculation tool also from the Passive House Institute.

The main advantages of using designPH are:

• 3D input: designPH can take-off areas from a 3D computer model and export them to the PHPP, saving time and effort completing the Windows, Areas and Shading sheets in PHPP.
• Iterative design: designPH calculates a preliminary energy balance directly from the 3D model, so the effects of design changes can be observed immediately in SketchUp, allowing a more iterative design workflow and rapid prototyping to be carried-out.
• Teaching and learning: designPH also functions as a didactic tool, for students and professionals who are new to Passive House concepts, it can provide a more gentle introduction than starting with the PHPP immediately.

Passive House design for everyone!

Who is designPH for? From the early days of SketchUp, they used the slogan "3D for everyone!" and likewise, designPH is Passive House design for everyone. It can be used by both building professionals and anyone interested in highly energy-efficient building design, such as students or self-builders. It is ideally suited for in-house use by architects and designers, to make a first assessment of the energy performance at pre-planning stage and it can also work well as an economic solution for independent consultants who do not use or want to invest in expensive CAD software. The automatic analysis features mean that results can be calculated for a building envelope without the need to input full details of thermal properties, but a high-level of detail can be specified to refine the thermal model.

designPH, PHPP and certification

To design a Passive House and make a full analysis, designPH should be used in conjunction with PHPP. The designPH internal calculation uses the annual method, for the heating period only, so it is not sufficient for building certification in its own right.
Therefore you can only buy designPH either as a package with PHPP 8.5 or PHPP 9 or as part of an upgrade if you are already a PHPP customer.

designPH versions are compatible with PHPP 8.5 and/or PHPP 9 depending on the license and designPH/PHPP version you have purchased. For more details and system requirements, look here.

Further details

• 1 Introduction and workflow
• 2 designPH and PHPP concepts
• 3 User Interface

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