Not Just Another Contractor: How Bouygues is Quietly Raising the Bar on Passivhaus with Peter Courtenay

In this powerful and refreshingly honest episode, I sit down with Peter Courtenay, a building physics specialist at Bouygues UK, to break open the reality behind performance gaps, Passivhaus pressures, and why technical rigour must go hand-in-hand with cultural change.Peter’s journey is anything but typical. From a civil engineering background to becoming a certified Passivhaus designer, his career has taken him from academic curiosity to real-world impact, challenging outdated mindsets in one of the UK’s biggest contractors.We cover:Why overheating is often the overlooked disaster waiting to happenThe cultural clash between British pragmatism and French detail obsessionPassivhaus: what it takes to do it properly and why it's still misunderstoodWhy regulations don’t always reward doing the right thingThe unseen value of feedback loops and operational dataHow Bouygues shifted from toxic turnover-chasing to purpose-led progressWhy real collaboration takes trust and transparencyThe unexpected brilliance of direct electric heating in efficient buildingsPeter speaks openly about navigating technical complexity, leadership change, and the stigma that contractors face and why it’s time we gave credit where it’s due. If you’re working on sustainable construction projects and feel stuck between compliance and impact, this episode is a must-listen.🔗 Highlights & ResourcesBouygues UK: https://www.bouygues-uk.comPassivhaus Trust: https://www.passivhaustrust.org.ukLeti Guidance: https://www.leti.londonUCL Environmental Design and Engineering: https://www.ucl.ac.ukDisplay Energy Certificates: GOV UK info🎧 Listen NowAvailable on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.