Immersive 3-Week Summer Program in Pittsburgh
Learn how high-performance building design and construction principles contribute to a more sustainable, more efficient, and healthier built environment.
Dates: June 2–20, 2025
Times: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location: Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center, 1435 Bedford Ave, Pittsburgh, PA
First- and second-year university students are invited to spend three weeks in Pittsburgh for a cross-cultural educational program with students from Northern Ireland. Through a combination of lectures from high-performance building experts, hands-on activities, and site visits, students will learn the latest in high-performance building design, featuring Passive House design standards. They will better understand how these design and construction principles make buildings more sustainable, more efficient, and healthier for people and how to help tackle the built environment’s significant contribution to climate change. Upon completion of the camp, attendees will be primed for future Passive House certification. This program is a joint initiative of the Penn State Global Building Network, the Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State, and Northern Ireland’s South West College.
Is This Program Right for You?
- Are you a first- or second-year architecture or engineering student?
- Are you curious about high-performance building standards and features?
- Are you interested in exploring Pittsburgh?
- Do you want a cultural experience with instructors and students from Northern Ireland?
Summer Program Includes:
- In-class and hands-on instruction at the Energy Innovation Center
- Living in and exploring Pittsburgh
- Breakfast and lunch on program days
- Touring local high-performance buildings
- Preparation for future Passive House professional certification
Location
Students will live and learn in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, taking classes at the LEED Platinum Energy Innovation Center and touring local high-performance buildings and sites. Field trips include: Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Frick Environmental Center, Tree Pittsburgh Education Center, and more.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided as part of the program, and students will have ample time to explore all that the city has to offer. Students also have the option of living at Penn Commons, alongside students from South West College (students are responsible for their own housing costs). Contact us for more details and costs.
Program Cost and Available Fellowships
Cost: $450
Includes program fees, breakfast and lunch on class days, public transportation passes, and field trips.
Five Fellowships Available (full cost will be waived)
Full fellowships will be awarded to five select Penn State students accepted into the program.
Application deadline: Friday, March 28
Past Program Highlights
Students learn about high-performance buildings during Pittsburgh summer program
Students from South West College in Northern Ireland joined Penn State students in Pittsburgh to learn best practices in energy-efficient design during the High-Performance Building Summer Program, held June 3–21. Read more about the 2024 program
Cross-cultural learning experience brings students from Northern Ireland to Pittsburgh
In June 2023, 10 students from South West College in Northern Ireland spent three weeks in Pittsburgh learning about sustainable building design through the Penn State High-Performance Building Summer Program. Read more about the 2023 program
Students bring international focus to Pittsburgh’s high-performance buildings
In 2022, students from South West College, Northern Ireland, joined Penn State students in Pittsburgh to learn best practices in energy efficient design during the High-Performance Building Summer Camp. Read more about the experience
