NOMA × Passive House Network Partnership

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the Passive House Network (PHN) are pleased to announce the formalization of a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding designed to advance education, equity, professional development, and high-performance building practice across the architecture, design, and construction professions. This MOU establishes a shared framework for collaboration between NOMA and PHN, aligning both organizations around a common commitment: expanding access to climate-responsive design knowledge while elevating the leadership, expertise, and lived experience of minority architects, designers, educators, students, and allied professionals. 

At its core, the partnership recognizes that high-performance building knowledge must be more accessible, more inclusive, and more connected to the communities most affected by climate, housing, energy, and infrastructure inequities. Passive House principles offer critical tools for reducing energy demand, improving building performance, supporting healthier indoor environments, and advancing climate resilience. Through this partnership, NOMA and PHN will work together to ensure these tools are not confined to narrow professional circles, but are shared through pathways that support representation, leadership, and long-term professional opportunity. 

The MOU will serve as the guiding structure for all actionable steps moving forward. Program development, educational offerings, member engagement, communications, leadership coordination, and evaluation will be shaped through this shared agreement. Rather than operating as isolated initiatives, each activity will be connected to the broader goals of the partnership and assessed for its value to both organizations and their members. 

During the first year of implementation, NOMA and PHN will identify and develop opportunities for collaborative programming that may include technical seminars, chapter-based learning sessions, introductory Passive House education pathways, practice-focused webinars, case-study presentations, and future exploration of fellowship or credentialing opportunities. These initiatives will be designed to connect Passive House principles with real-world practice, procurement, community impact, professional development, and equity-centered design leadership. 

A central priority of the partnership is shared leadership. NOMA practitioners, educators, students, and chapter leaders will not be positioned merely as participants, but as contributors, presenters, moderators, case-study leaders, advisors, and co-creators. PHN educators, technical experts, and members will contribute building-performance knowledge, curriculum support, technical insight, and professional resources. This structure reflects the mutual value of the partnership and affirms that meaningful collaboration requires shared authorship, shared visibility, and shared accountability. 

The partnership also supports NOMA’s broader mission to advance education, elevation, empowerment, and equity within the profession. By connecting NOMA members and chapters with Passive House education and high-performance design expertise, the collaboration creates pathways for expanded technical fluency, professional advancement, and leadership in climate-responsive practice. At the same time, PHN strengthens its commitment to equity by working in partnership with NOMA to broaden access, deepen representation, and support a more inclusive Passive House movement. 

The first year will establish a foundation for implementation, learning, and refinement. Both organizations will use this period to assess member value, program quality, operational feasibility, financial sustainability, and long-term alignment. This process is not simply exploratory; it is a deliberate implementation phase grounded in the MOU and designed to help determine how the partnership can grow responsibly, sustainably, and with measurable impact. 

Together, NOMA and PHN aim to support a built environment where high-performance design is not treated as a luxury or specialty knowledge reserved for a few, but as a critical part of equitable, resilient, and responsible practice. Through this partnership, both organizations affirm their shared commitment to expanding access, elevating underrepresented leadership, and advancing climate-responsive design in service of the communities’ architects, engineers, and designers are called to serve. 

Additional details on programming, engagement opportunities, and implementation milestones will be shared as the partnership moves forward.