CV - Robert Ryan
Passive House Consultant & Building Energy Specialist
Robert Ryan has been at the forefront of Passive House and ultra-low-energy building fabric design since 2005, and has been instrumental in bringing the Passive House standard to the English-speaking world. His career has taken him across the globe — from the United States and Europe to Australia and China — delivering training, consultancy, and project support at an international level.
His journey began on construction sites as a young man, where a hands-on grounding in building practice gave him an instinctive understanding of how buildings are actually assembled. That foundation informed his later career in design, detailing, and energy efficiency, developed over many years with MosArt and the Passive House Academy — two of the most respected organisations in the Irish Passive House sector.
In 2015, drawing on a decade of accumulated expertise, Robert established his own practice — Earth Cycle Technologies — which went on to achieve considerable success before the disruptions of the pandemic and its aftermath brought it to a close.
Robert is now seeking employment within a practice where his full range of skills can be put to work. He is highly motivated, enthusiastic, and at his best as part of a collaborative team. His experience, qualifications, technical depth, and warm professional manner will make him an exceptional asset to any organisation.
Academic & Professional
Qualifications
Robert's qualifications span formal postgraduate study, professional accreditation by the Passive House Institute, state registration, and a wide range of industry and vocational certifications — reflecting both the depth of his specialisation and the breadth of his professional interests.
Accredited Passive House Consultant — Passive House Institute (PHI)
Accredited by the Passive House Institute, Darmstadt, Germany. Robert is also in a position to reinstate full Passive House Certifier status — the highest level of PHI accreditation — permitting independent third-party certification of buildings to the international Passive House Standard.
PHI AccreditedLevel 9 CPD Certificate — Thermal Bridging
Postgraduate CPD qualification in linear and point thermal bridge analysis, covering ISO 10211-compliant finite-element methods and calculation of PSI and Chi values for building certification.
NFQ Level 9Level 9 CPD Certificate — Hygrothermal Assessment
Postgraduate CPD qualification in transient hygrothermal simulation, covering moisture transport, interstitial condensation risk, and mould assessment for building assemblies using WUFI and Delphin.
NFQ Level 9NSAI Thermal Modeller — Reinstatement Available
Previously registered under the NSAI Thermal Modelling scheme. Robert is in a position to reinstate this registration as required by a prospective employer or project.
NSAIAssociate Member — CIAT
Currently an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), reflecting his engagement with professional standards in architectural technology practice.
CIATFETAC Level 5 & City & Guilds — IT, Coding & Design
A range of FETAC Level 5 and City & Guilds qualifications in IT, office skills, coding, and design — underpinning the practical software development and technical communication skills Robert applies throughout his work.
Multiple AwardsEmbodied & Operational
Carbon Analysis
Robert has extensive hands-on experience with a range of established carbon calculation tools and has gone further still — developing an entire bespoke carbon assessment system built around SketchUp, currently pending validation. The plugin derives areas, volumes, and linear quantities of timber, steel, and associated wastage directly from the building model, before generating a bill of quantities and calculating the embodied carbon of the proposed construction.
While the tool is currently in its early stages and awaits formal validation, it demonstrates Robert's characteristic approach: identifying a practical problem in the design workflow and building a purpose-made solution. With further development, it has the potential to become a genuinely useful resource for early-stage embodied carbon assessment in design practice.
- Experience across multiple established carbon calculation platforms
- Bespoke SketchUp plugin for embodied carbon (in development)
- Automated material quantity extraction from 3D models
- Bill of quantities generation integrated with carbon estimates
- Embodied and operational carbon assessment workflows
Bespoke carbon calculation interface with material quantity extraction
Carbon model output showing embodied carbon breakdown by element
Building Physics
Thermal Bridging
Robert's experience in thermal bridge analysis extends all the way back to 2006, placing him among the earliest specialists in Ireland to develop genuine expertise in this area. He has trained a number of Passive House specialists and successfully guided applicants through the NSAI Thermal Modellers accreditation scheme.
Frame simulation output (left), isotherm and heat flux plots (centre), infrared thermal imaging (right)
All thermal bridge analysis is carried out in accordance with ISO 10211 and ISO 14683, applying accurate boundary conditions to produce certification-quality PSI (ψ) and Chi (χ) values. His reports are clear, detailed, and structured for use in Passive House certification, building regulations submissions, and design team review.
- Over 18 years of thermal bridge analysis experience
- ISO 10211-compliant finite-element simulation
- PSI (ψ) and Chi (χ) values for all critical junctions
- Window and door frame simulation (EN ISO 10077)
- Training delivery and NSAI scheme applicant support
- US Imperial (IP) unit calculation system development
- SketchUp plugin in development for workflow integration
Moisture & Durability
Hygrothermal Analysis
Robert is a fully qualified hygrothermal assessor, capable of working in both Delphin and WUFI — the two most widely recognised transient simulation tools in the field. He completed his formal postgraduate qualification through TU Dublin, supplementing that academic foundation with a long history of industry-based courses and sustained practical application.
Importantly, Robert has been assessing building assemblies and construction details for moisture risk for many years — well before his formal qualification. This means he brings a particularly well-rounded perspective to hygrothermal work, combining academic rigour with an experienced understanding of how real Irish and European construction details actually perform.
- Fully qualified hygrothermal assessor (TU Dublin, Level 9)
- Proficient in both WUFI Pro / WUFI 2D and Delphin
- Transient moisture simulation under dynamic climate conditions
- Interstitial condensation and mould growth risk assessment
- Assessment of novel assemblies for new materials and systems
- Retrofit wall build-up analysis for existing buildings
WUFI Pro simulation results — moisture content variation over a three-year assessment period
WUFI software interface with transient hygrothermal boundary conditions applied
PHI Accredited
Passive House Consultancy & Certification
Robert was officially accredited as a Passive House Consultant in 2007, having already spent a number of years working in PHPP, construction detailing, planning applications, and construction drawings for Passive House projects. He has since accumulated an extraordinary depth and breadth of experience — working on over 300 projects across the globe and managing the Certification Department at MosArt for a significant period.
Passive House consultancy across residential and multifamily building typologies
After ten years with MosArt, Robert established his own practice in 2015, where he went on to obtain Passive House Certifier Status — the highest level of accreditation available from the Passive House Institute, authorising independent third-party certification of buildings to the international Passive House Standard.
Robert's PHPP modelling is exhaustive and precise, covering building geometry, window specification, shading analysis, airtightness targets, MVHR efficiency, thermal bridge allowances, and summer overheating risk. His consultancy work spans all Passive House typologies — single-family houses, multifamily apartments, non-residential buildings, and EnerPHit retrofits.
- Accredited Passive House Consultant since 2007 (PHI)
- Passive House Certifier status — reinstatement available
- 300+ projects delivered across Ireland, Europe, USA, Australia, China
- Managed Certification Department at MosArt for many years
- Full PHPP energy balance calculation and optimisation
- Airtightness strategy, detailing, and blower door witnessing
- EnerPHit retrofit consultancy for existing buildings
Annotated Passive House design showing key performance features and envelope strategy
Certification Portfolio
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Selection of Passive House certified projects and certification documentation
Solar & Thermal Comfort
Daylight & Overheating
With overheating now recognised as a critical design risk in highly insulated buildings, Robert has actively invested in developing his daylight and overheating analysis capabilities. He is currently investigating SketchUp and Blender plugins as practical and accessible analysis tools for design practice — specifically Analysis Hub for SketchUp and Vi-Suite for Blender — with promising early results from initial tests.
Robert is characteristically keen to develop new skills where they add value to his clients and to the practice of low-energy building design. The importance of overheating analysis for well-insulated buildings will only continue to grow, and his investment in these tools reflects that long-term view.
- Daylight analysis via Analysis Hub (SketchUp) — in practice
- Vi-Suite for Blender — in active development and testing
- Shadow and overshadowing studies for planning
- Annual sunlit hours analysis for outdoor spaces
- Monthly and hourly overheating simulation tools (in development)
- Solar gain and window placement optimisation for energy balance
Annual sunlit hours shadow study for planning and Passive House overheating analysis
Sky view factor analysis for urban site context assessment
Design & Visualisation
Drafting & 3D Modelling
Robert is proficient across virtually all modelling and drawing programs in common use in architectural and engineering practice. He produces high-quality technical drawings, 3D models, and professional reports with equal facility, and can adapt quickly to any software environment required. His versatility with drawing and reporting tools — combined with his deep knowledge of building physics — means his documentation is both graphically clear and technically rigorous.
High-quality graphical diagrams (left) and 3D heat flux vector modelling for thermal bridge analysis (right)
Robert's drawing and modelling work spans CAD-based 2D drafting, 3D building geometry for energy model inputs, and presentation-quality visualisations for client and planning use. He produces annotated diagrams explaining passive design strategies, heat flow patterns, and building physics principles — used both in project reports and in educational materials for CPD training courses.
- Proficient across all major CAD and modelling environments
- 3D building geometry modelling for energy simulation inputs
- High-quality technical and presentation drawings
- 3D flux vector and isotherm visualisation for thermal reports
- Professional report production and layout
- Annotated passive design strategy diagrams for CPD materials
3D modelling for design consultancy and energy model geometry extraction
Energy model geometry outputs and detailed elevation drawing incorporating landscape and shadow context
Construction & Specification
Construction Detailing
Robert has maintained a detail-oriented focus throughout his career, developing construction solutions for a wide range of building typologies — from private houses to commercial buildings and specialist projects including swimming pools. No two construction challenges are quite the same, and Robert brings an analytical rigour to every junction and interface he encounters.
His detailing work is informed at every stage by his expertise in thermal bridging and hygrothermal analysis, ensuring that details are not only geometrically resolved and weathertight, but thermally optimised and moisture-safe. This integrated approach — bringing heat, moisture, and constructional logic together in a single coherent solution — is a genuine differentiator in his work.
- Detail development for houses, commercial, and specialist buildings
- Thermally optimised junction details informed by PSI analysis
- Moisture-safe assemblies validated by hygrothermal simulation
- Airtightness membrane continuity through complex junctions
- Service penetration sealing and structural penetration isolation
- Clear, annotated details suitable for contractor instruction
Junction details showing insulation continuity, airtightness, and thermal bridge-free design
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Annotated construction details produced for Passive House certification submission
Bespoke Tools & Platforms
Software Development
Over the past four years, Robert has invested significantly in software development — combining skills from his earlier education with a contemporary AI-assisted coding expertise to build a portfolio of purpose-built tools that address real gaps in available building energy software. The range and ambition of what he has produced is considerable.
Custom dynamic energy modelling software — interface, simulation engine, and output visualisation
Each tool has been developed to solve a specific practical problem, drawing on Robert's deep domain knowledge to ensure that the software reflects real-world building physics rather than simplified approximations. His monthly energy estimator has been verified against PHPP to within 2% — a result that speaks to the rigour underlying the development work.
Education & CPD
Training & Education
Alongside his consultancy work, Robert has devoted a significant part of his career to training and education — an activity he approaches with the same depth of preparation he brings to technical work. He has delivered training at all levels, from academic university modules to large-scale industry conferences with audiences of up to 300.
Courses Delivered — External & Academic
- The Passive House Designer Course — full accredited programme
- PHPP software training — classes of up to 300 participants
- Thermal Bridging — from first principles to advanced calculation
- Building Energy Modelling — Level 9 module at TU Dublin
Courses Developed & Delivered — Earth Cycle Technologies
- Thermal Bridging — industry CPD course, well subscribed
- DesignPH — workshop training for Passive House modelling software
- Certification of Buildings — full Passive House certification process