The Building Science Podcast

The perspectives of each team member in construction matter a lot - especially when we're striving to integrate our processes and delivery efforts. One voice that's often missing from the conversation is the voice of the HVAC contractor. So we decided to give a little love to our HVAC contractor compadres and interviewed two of the best in Central Texas. Explore the inner workings of two excellent HVAC contractor's challenges, joys, business realities, and aspirations for the future of the industry. Kristof interviews Patrick Wilks of Wilks Heating & Air in San Antonio, TX and Nacho Moreno of New Results in Austin, TX. The conversation is broad ranging and insightful.Patrick WilksPatrick grew up carrying his father’s tools and learning to serve customers honestly, with the utmost integrity. In 2005 Patrick graduated from Texas A&M University and came home to help in the family business. While honing his skills in air conditioning repair, Patrick has helped grow the business based on the same values his father instilled in him as a young boy. Patrick married his wife, Alicia, in 2010 and has three children, Raeleigh, Mckinley and Luke. As President, he manages the day to day activities at Wilks Air Conditioning & Heating and is dedicated to continuing the tradition of quality service and a strong sense of family.Nacho MorenoIgnacio Moreno grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, moved to Austin in 1996 and now considers himself an Austinite. He got his start in the HVAC business as a part time job while going to college and eventually it became his lifelong career. Nacho, as he is know to all his friends and customers, founded New Results Hvac in 2002 and is directly involved in every job from planning to commissioning. Staying on top of new technology, Treating his customers like family, being honest and constantly pushing his crews to provide the best quality are his top priorities.He is married to his wife Claudia and has 3 boys one of which has started working for him and is quickly learning the trade. Whenever he is not working or building his shipping container house he enjoys learning to use new software suites like Revit which he used to design his house. Having a fascination for technology his hobbies include tinkering in his shop fabricating CNC equipment, home automation gadgets with arduino and raspberry pi boards and occasionally crews a sail boat in Lake Travis regattas.

Through the years, we've been asked a lot about natural building materials and how they relate to building science. And frankly, it's a nuanced conversation that requires a lot of unpacking preconceived notions about what constitutes a good product (from the perspective of liability, ecology, availability, serviceability, durability, etc.). In this episode of the podcast, we interview Brad King of Earthbound Builders in Austin, TX. They're endeavoring to make natural building materials part of the main stream building processes rather than a custom, "hippie" solution. Check it out, think on it, and let us know your thoughts.Brad King & Earthbound BuildersBrad King is a builder and specialist in natural building products, including clay plaster finishes. His expertise is robust and he is a great resource for natural building questions and projects.Brad's company, Earthbound Builders, is a worker-owned collective of builders based in Austin, Texas. They focus on providing high quality, environmentally responsible construction services. Using natural building methods, local materials, and sustainable design principles, they create spaces that are healthier to live in, more beautiful to look at, and better performing than conventional alternatives. Earthbound Builders is committed to collaboration and quality.Resources-Dr. DirtAs mentioned in the episode, read more about Dr. Clay Robinson, PhD and his work with soil science education in the United States. The resources are primarily designed for kids K-12, but the research in the soil science world has profound impacts not only on buildings, but on agriculture and larger sustainability issues.-American ClayFrom the American Clay website:"American Clay plasters are a natural way to finish any interior. Non-toxic and made in the U.S.A., our plasters are a healthy alternative to paint, wallpaper, cement, acrylic and gypsum plasters. American Clay offers eight plaster finishes, hundreds of colors, unlimited textures, and a depth not found in other finishes."-Clay Sand Strawwww.claysandstraw.com provides design, consultation, education and construction for straw bale, cob, adobe and timber frame buildings. Please reach out to them for natural building related questions and projects.-Ann SussmanAnn Sussman is interested in how buildings influence our behavior. Her book, Cognitive Architecture, written with Justin B. Hollander, reveals the unconscious tendencies at work when we navigate the world around us. These ‘hidden’ predispositions reflect our long evolutionary trip per recent research in psychology and neuroscience, and can help explain why we favor certain urban conditions and building configurations and shun others. Understanding ourselves better, Sussman believes, can lead us to build more humanely and ultimately, more successfully for people.-New York Times Article On Cob HousesFrom the article:LAGO VISTA, Tex. — As a senior systems analyst at the University of Texas, Austin, Gary Zuker lives in a high-tech world all week. But when the weekend arrives, Mr. Zuker retreats to a home that’s about as low-tech as possible. His getaway is a 900-square-foot cottage that he built himself out of straw and clay. To come upon it, tucked away on two acres in the wooded Hill Country outside Austin, is to find a storybook dwelling that could be Geppetto’s workshop or a Hobbit house...

The Building Science Podcast got a couple of Press Passes and went to New York City last week for the AIA Conference on Architecture, 2018. What an incredible conference it was! We had the opportunity to connect with so many thoughtful and visionary architects who want to build a better, healthier future. We're psyched. One of the most thoughtful conversations we had was with Corey Squire and Tate Walker about the new Committee On The Environment's new Toolkit. It's a resource-rich document that helps firms and projects of any kind measure their progress against benchmarks of sustainability without restrictive prescription pathways, while keeping outcomes at the central focus.COREY SQUIRELEED AP O+MSustainability Process Manager, Lake|Flato ArchitectsCorey works with all Lake|Flato teams to establish sustainability goals, analyze designs with simulation software, and collects post-occupancy performance data. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. In 2012, Squire was awarded the Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Research Fellowship to study building post-occupancy energy performance and sustainable design processes.Tate WalkerAIA, LEEP AP BD+C, Sustainability Director, OPN ArchitectsAs an architect focused on energy and sustainability in the built environment, he steers OPN’s sustainability initiatives, focusing on energy research, technology evaluation, and high performance design. He regularly writes and presents on issues relating to energy, technology, building science, and promoting environmental awareness through design. His experience includes integrating teams, design charrettes, building systems, and sustainability initiatives on capital projects.Tate has worked nationally for clients such as Northwestern University, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Iowa State University. He served the United States Green Building Council in various capacities since 2008 and has been a leader within the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance since 2005, including serving as the organization’s vice president in 2009.At OPN, Tate led the adoption and administration of the 2030 Challenge to transition to net zero energy buildings. He also is chair of the firm’s annual Green Day event and an internal sustainability committee.He is currently leading the sustainable design for the new Advanced Teaching and Research Building for the Biosciences at Iowa State University, which is targeting LEED Gold. The 115,000 square foot, $52 million project will be an anchor building on campus, incorporating innovative site, water, advanced materials and daylighting components to support a unique, sustainable experience for its users.About The Committee On The EnvironmentCOTE MissionThe Committee on the Environment (COTE) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate—to the profession, the building industry, the academy, and the public—design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. COTE serves as the community and voice on behalf of AIA architects regarding sustainable design and building science and performance.COTE reflects the profession’s commitment to provide healthy and safe environments for people and is dedicated to preserving the earth’s capability of sustaining a shared high quality of life. The committee’s mission is to lead and coordinate the profession’s involvement in environmental and energy-related issues and to promote the role of the architect as a leader in preserving and protecting the planet and its living systems.COTE provides the AIA with knowledge about environmental issues and advises the Institute on environmental policy matters affecting the practice of architecture. The committee supports cooperation with educators and institutions of learning, manufacturers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and industry groups in advancing environmentally sound design processes and standards as well as environmentally innovative materials and integrated systems.COTE Goals-To advance the importance of sustainable design to our fellow architects, within the Institute, and to the broader public.-To educate architects about the environmental and energy-related impacts of design decisions & about how to incorporate sustainable design into daily practice.-To define and promote the cutting edge of sustainable design for our profession.-To foster leadership among architects in all facets of environmental decision making.-To recognize environmental leadership of architects in practice, education, industry, and government.-To influence the direction of architectural education to place more emphasis on ecological literacy , sustainable design and building science-To maintain, refine, and strengthen alliances with professional and trade associations and other leaders in environmentally responsible design to coordinate

Strap in, y'all - this is one is... technical. Capturing particles, even and especially the ones too small for you to see, are where the rubber meets the road for IAQ. This all-important task is the role of the often-overlooked air filter. Today we talk about one of the most important building science topics that many folks don't know enough about - air filtration. Who knew there was so many important considerations for this often overlooked and ignored component of our industry.John BloemerJohn is Director of Engineering for Aprilaire. Aprilaire is the leader in Residential IAQ products offering solutions that create a Healthy Home. Aprilaire designs, engineers and manufactures products that control aspects of IAQ – temperature, humidity, fresh air and air purity.John graduated with a BSME from the University of Akron. His 34-year carrier has been focused on product development and he has worked for Scott & Fetzer and Kohler before finding his home at Aprilaire 19 years ago.Through his carrier, he has been awarded over 15 US and foreign patents. He sits on many committees in ASHRAE and AHRI and is actively involved in the Building Science community. With Aprilaire, John is responsible for leading a team of highly talented engineers and experts in IAQ product design and testing at the main office Madison, WI.He promotes healthy buildings as a system where all products work together to ensure the highest level of air quality possible while maintaining ease of use, energy efficiency and of course, the health and comfort of the occupants.

When we think about building science, we're thinking about systems and the unseen forces that contribute to the success or failure of a building. Some of the largest and most complicated systems and unseen forces in the AEC industry are the contracts that make or break a project. Join Kristof as he interviews construction attorney, Joe Basham, on all things funky and legal in the AEC industry.Joe BashamJoe Basham grew up in Monahans, a small town in West Texas, where he worked in the oil fields in 115 degree weather. He then traveled nearly 500 miles to Texas A&M University, where he graduated, cum laude, with a degree in Construction Science from the College of Architecture and dunked his ring in Shiner Bock.He worked as runner for a big law firm in Austin, and then moved to the high plains where attended Texas Tech School of Law. He graduated in 2002, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, and was the Technology Editor of the Texas Tech Law Review.After law school, Joe joined Allensworth & Porter as an associate, was made a partner in 2007. He has been listed in Texas Super Lawyers from 2005 – 2018, and Best Lawyers 2014 – 2015, and Legal 500. He is now the managing partner at Austin-based construction law firm, Allensworth & Porter, and partners with clients from all facets of the construction industry, including owners, contractors, architects, and engineers to consult on contract negotiations, dispute management and resolution, and litigation and arbitration. Joe focuses on building long-term, strategic relationships with clients who care about working with a lawyer who knows the law, their business, and their industry.Joe is a member of the Rotary Club of Austin, and is on the board of the Austin Chapter of the Building Enclosure Council (BEC). He served on the Rollingwood City Council for 5 years, and was president of the Rollingwood Community Economic Development Corporation. He is married to Karla, and they have two boys, Joe (9) and John (7).Joe can be contacted at (512) 708-1250 and at [email protected] thanks to Aprilaire for their continued and generous support of the podcast! 

Construction is a serious and unforgiving business. The best minds in the business are masters of seeing connections and systems thinking. If you are really trying to make a difference in this industry the good news is that there’s a lot of work to do and questions to answer. -How do you successfully organize and deliver high quality construction on time and within budget?-How do you handle communication flow? -How much do you rely on external consultants for expertise? -How do you set and manage expectations with your client? In this episode, Kristof interviews Trevor Brown, the Quality Control Manager of JE Dunn Construction to discuss war stories and the inside baseball of commercial construction.

The original episode was meant to feature both Graeme Marsh, who we heard on the last episode, as well as Greg Long. None of us could have prepared for the fact that in the middle of the episode, Greg's ceiling had water pouring out of it. It was unexpected, to say the least!Fortunately for us, we got to catch up with Greg for a more in depth discussion. So what do dirty socks have to do with the lungs of our homes and buildings? Listen to this episode to learn more about smelly biofilms, probiotic cleaners and the tip of the thermodynamic spear - the all-powerful, but often-ignored HVAC coil.The heat exchanger coil in our HVAC system is where the magic of heat transfer happens - this is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to "conditioning" air. If the word "coil" is not connecting to a mental image, you can think of the radiator in your car. Just as in a car, when it's working you don't give your radiator much thought - we often ignore our HVAC coils, and at our peril. All of the indoor air we heat and cool flows through our HVAC coil. Unfortunately sometimes our magic, all-powerful coils are coated with a smelly, gelatinous, living glop in the form of an unwanted biofilm.Listen to this episode to learn more about the under-reported reality of biofilms in HVAC equipment and what to do about them to keep your coil and conditioned air clean and odor-free.Earl Gregory (Greg) Long, CIEC, ASCSMr. Long is president of IAQ Consulting Services Inc. in Belton, TX (not far from the Positive Energy and Building Science Podcast headquarters). IAQ Consulting Services Inc,  is a consulting firm that offers estimating, project management, specification writing, investigations services and project oversight specializing in HVAC system restoration and cleaning, coil cleaning, structure restoration and dehumidification, and content restoration, with focus on restorative processes over replacement when applicable.Areas of additional experience include rust eradication and prevention within HVAC systems, fiberglass insulation removal and replacement with closed cell insulation within HVAC systems,drain pan restoration, water and air leakage and odor control. It is Mr. Long’s belief that there is apractical and logical solution for most building related projects and indoor air issues and it has always been his goal to find the most reasonable solution for the situation at hand.Among his credentials are: Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC) by American Council for Accredited CertificationCertified Mold Remediator (CMR) by American Council for Accredited CertificationAir System Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) by National Air Duct Cleaners AssociationCertified IAQ Technician (CIAQT) by Texas Tech UniversityCertified Mold Investigator Professional (CMIP) by Texas Tech UniversityCertified De-flooding Specialist by Cleaning De-flooding Restoration Network Trained and practiced in Commercial Kitchen exhaust system cleaningIt gets better. This guy's everywhere! Board of Directors of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) – 6 yearsPresident of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) – 2 termsStandards writing committee, National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) – past 23 yearsInducted into the first class of the Hall of Fame for the National Air Duct Cleaners AssociationChairman, Indoor Air Quality Advisory Council, Texas Tech University – 2 yearsStandards writing committee Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) – 1 yearBoard of Directors of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) – 6 years in past Board of Directors of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) – currentlyBoard Officer of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) – 2 yearsChairman of the finance committee of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) – past 5 yearsWe're impressed by the list. 

Put on your microbiology hats, folks. This episode of The Building Science podcast will dive into the great unseen world of microorganisms all around us inside our buildings down to the level of the ecosystems that grow on our HVAC coils. We're truly at a time when the health sciences and the building sciences are becoming more closely related than ever before and the future is a weird, wonderful world of intersectional and interdisciplinary scientific inquiry. Join us as Kristof interviews, Graeme Marsh about the weirdness of biofilms that you can't even see right before your very eyes. Graeme Marsh is the Managing Director of Z Bioscience and has somewhat of a polymathic career path. He spent 20 years working for global investment banks in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK, going on to found Future Business Concepts, Inc. in 1998; helping companies with Business Development, Product and Sales Strategy, Financing and Re-Structuring.  The initial focus was on the Internet. His firm was involved in the creation of the JV between Melbourne IT and NeuStar that successfully established the .biz generic Top Level Domain. More recently Graeme assisted a client in the million dollar plus sale of its IP / Patent portfolio, and is currently assisting with a "Next Generation" data encryption firm, and a new Project Management system provider that goes beyond the Agile approach.He has also worked with firms in the Oil & Gas sector, focusing on environmental projects including air and water remediation, as well as New Materials, especially in the concrete space, Manufacturing Technologies, and Corrosion Prevention.His firm expanded its work with clients that focus on Environmental related areas, including companies that have a range of revolutionary Certified Green cleaning products (many of which are also Organic) that are having a profound impact on the bottom line in multiple industries, including HVAC applications (improved system energy performance and IAQ), Agriculture (Poultry, Hogs & Dairy), and All Purpose Cleaning (Assisted Living, Schools, Healthcare, General Janitorial and Retail).From 2002 to 2006 Graeme was on the Board of The Japan Pragmatist Fund, a Japanese hedge fund specializing in small to medium capitalized companies. It closed in Dec 2006 and all investors received their initial capital back plus above market returns. Graeme is also serving on the Board of number of other ventures. Z BioScienceEmail GraemeSpecial thanks to The Humid Climate Conference for their generous and continued support for the show. If you haven't got tickets for this May's conference, they're nearly sold out! 

It's normal these days to pay attention to what we eat. But what about the steady diet of air we breathe and soak ourselves in? The impact of homes on health somehow manages to stay below the radar. Even our language is a bit evasive. Why do we say "sick building syndrome"? The buildings aren't sick, the people are. This episode is a step toward helping this important topic get some long-overdue and much-needed attention. Join us for an interview with Bill Hayward and Carl Grimes that took place at the 2018 IAQA Conference in Chicago, IL. as we discuss the Hayward Healthy Home Score. We hope you enjoy, take the quiz yourself, and share with your friends and families. Learn More About The Hayward Score with this great, informative video.Bill HaywardBill is the founder of Hayward Score as well as the CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of Hayward, a 95-year-old California lumber and building material supplier. Since 2008, when he, his wife, and their newborn daughter became sick in their “dream home,” Bill has been focused on combining building science and medical science into a compelling strategy to transform home construction so that homes will no longer degrade human health. In addition to his work on Hayward Score, he has also recently assumed the role of Chief Innovations Officer of H3, a subsidiary focused on cutting-edge products that transform the indoor environment.LMB Journal, the leading magazine for the lumber/building material distribution channel, named him Entrepreneur of the Year (2015). In addition, he was named “20 Most Influential Leaders in the Industry” and Hayward was named “Dealer of the Year” for their work in driving sustainability in the industry. On the non-profit side, Bill is currently Chairman Emeritus of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and previously served as Chairman for the 5 years. He received his BS from UCLA and graduated from the Stanford Executive Program.Carl GrimesCarl joined the Hayward Score team in 2013 and brings more than 30 years of professional expertise to identifying and addressing the most critical issues to transform homes to healthy environments that fit individual needs. In addition, he has personally experienced living in unhealthy homes and has a deep understanding of the uncertainty, exhaustion, and skepticism inherent in the struggle that many face – that his home was not a safe and secure “castle,” but was instead contributing to his declining health and sense of well‐being.He is nationally recognized as a professionally accredited Healthy Home Specialist (HHS) and a Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC). Since 1987, he has worked nationally as a private consultant guiding people who suffer from unhealthy houses. He has developed action plans and verification methods designed to eliminate health issues in homes. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the national Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) in 2002, and recently served as their President. Carl is now the Vice President of Practice for the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate. Carl has served on, created, and chaired a variety of committees writing industry consensus standards. He has collaborated with leading experts and researchers, analyzing the best approaches for restoring the indoor environment. He has chaired a committee that developed the course, Healthy Home Assessment: Principles and Practice, which is the follow‐on to the Essential Healthy Home Practitioner course by the National Center for Healthy Housing (www.nchh.org).  He is also the author of “Starting Points for a Healthy Habitat,” based on his and his client’s experiences of living in unhealthy homes and speaks both nationally and internationally on topics related to indoor air quality.More InfoSee this powerful video about Bill’s wife’s own story and journey of discovering the impact of indoor air quality on her life and the life of her family. Check out the Breezometer app for outdoor air quality monitoring.  Fun fact, the Foobot outdoor air reference is fueled by the Breezometer data feed. Also be sure to check out Jessica Green’s fascinating Ted Talk on the Indoor Microbiome. She talks about the simple (or complex) fact that our bodies and homes are covered in microbes -- some good for us, some bad for us. As we learn more about the germs and microbes who share our living spaces, TED Fellow Jessica Green asks: Can we design buildings that encourage happy, healthy microbial environments?For an expanded discussion, check out the Ted Blog. 

What do you really know about construction trades and their role in projects? Are their voices heard in the design process? Join us as Miguel interviews Kimberly Lewellyn live from the annual ASHRAE Conference and AHR Expo in Chicago for a wide ranging discussion on re-framing our perceptions of construction trades. For decades, the housing industry in the United States has become increasingly first cost oriented while energy codes simultaneously become more demanding. The implications of this dynamic have played out across design organizations and construction firms, but nowhere has it been felt more poignantly than by sub-contracted trade crews. Often these laborers are considered low-skill, interchangeable, and are thus exploited. And due to this unnecessarily assigned status, they are rarely involved in early design conversations to contribute their wealth of knowledge of construction realities. This dynamic can change with willing participants, but it takes more than just thought-experiments. We have to put into action new ways of thinking about contractural relationships, economic value, and design processes and collaboration. That's what this episode is all about. We'll explore a few simple ways to change the conversation and hopefully our minds about how trades are involved in our project teams.Kimberly Llewellyn was a Building Science consultant for the Positive Energy team for many years and is now both a Performance Construction Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating and a PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). Between her formal post-grad education in environmental engineering at Columbia University, Kimberly has an intimate understanding of how the HVAC industry relates to well designed and delivered homes and continues to advocate for better practices and collaboration in her work with Mitsubishi.  Big thanks to The Humid Climate Conference for their generous and continued support of this show.

If you think you don’t need to worry about water heating, think again! In this episode, Kristof interviews John Miles of Sanden Hot Water Heaters live on the AHR Expo floor in Chicago about the future of water heating. Learn why this technology can make a massive impact on the housing and energy sectors. When most people think of a quality water heater (which rarely happens) they think of gas tankless or electric resistive tanked systems. But that's nowhere near the full story. Water heaters are the second highest energy users in most homes and most home owners have never been presented with a good accounting of the available options. Heat pump water based water heating is here to stay and split system water heaters are the next step forward in the evolutionary up-cycle. Add to the equation an incredible refrigerant, CO2, and you've got yourself a high performing, low exergy, and low Global Warming Potential (GWP) water heating unit that could actually change energy consumption at the grid level.Here's the breakdown (these are generalized for simplicity):-Gas Tankless Systems - 90% Efficiency-Electric Resistive Tanked Systems - 95% Efficiency-Conventional Non-Split Heat Pump - 250% Efficient-Split System CO2 Based Heat Pump - 520% EfficientBig thanks to Sanden for supporting the show and for talking with us at AHR and to The Humid Climate Conference for their continued and generous support of our show. 

In this episode, Kristof interviews Kiel Moe of Harvard's GSD about the energy flows and multiple re-thinkings necessary to change the future of construction and design. You may remember reading about Kiel's inspiration to us at Positive Energy in our blog post about the thermally active surface system we installed in our office, compliments of the fine and wonderful people at Messana and SpacePak. This episode is definitely headier than most of ours, so buckle in and be ready to hit pause, rewind, and take notes if you need. We couldn't be more thrilled that he stopped by the office to chat. Kiel MoeKiel is a registered architect and has taught architecture and energy at University of Illinois at Chicago, Syracuse University and Northeastern University. He holds positions as Associate Professor of Architecture & Energy and Co-Director of Master of Design Studies program in Harvard Graduate School of Design.Moe received the B.Arch from the University of Cincinnati, M.Arch from University of Virginia, and a Master in Design and Environmental Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Design Advanced Studies Program. Professor Moe's research and pedagogy focuses on an agenda (theories, techniques, and technologies) for energy that is at once more ecologically and architecturally ambitous: Maximum Power Design. A such, he focuses on both buildings as manifestations of large scale energy systems as well as overlooked and discrete thermal parameters in buildings that yet have great impact on the power of a building.Ideas To UnpackMaterial Ecology: coined by Neri Oxman (Architect, Designer, Inventor), focuses on and considers computation, fabrication, and the material itself as inseparable dimensions of design. In this approach, products and buildings are biologically informed and digitally engineered by, with and for, Nature.Energetics Of Urbanization:  deals with the relationship between energy flows, urbanization, and how they relate to economic practices and theories. Learn more about Neil Brenner and his work here.Pedagogy: how we relate to, study, and implement teaching.Planetary Urbanization: thinking about how we urbanize at a planetary level, how that affects resource and energy flows, and how life on the planet is shaped by it. Howard Odum: a brilliant ecologist who had a profound impact on the economic theories of energy flow. He coined the term and developed the theory of emergy, which deals with the embodied energy of any given object or structure.Epistemology: how do we know what we know? Pretty much. Political Economy: the study of production and trade and their relations with law, custom and government as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth.Adrian Bejan:  a brilliant mechanical engineer who first stated the notion of Constructal Law, which is the law of physics that accounts for the phenomenon of evolution (configuration, form, design) throughout nature, inanimate flow systems and animate systems together."For a finite-size system to persist in time (to live), it must evolve in such a way that it provides easier access to the imposed currents that flow through it."-Adrian Bejan, The Constructal LawThe constructal law places the concepts of life, evolution, design and performance in physics, which is in the broadest scientific arena. The constructal law is the law of physics of life and evolution. Forest Ecology: how do you get the wood that you use? Big thanks to the Humid Climate Conference for their generous support of our podcast and to Brittney Spears for the music that's stayed with us all these years.

Concrete is everywhere. We all see it every day but what do we really know about concrete? This seemingly simple material is any but simple. Listen and learn about the past, present and future of this evolving technology. Prepare to have your mind blown in this episode of the show as we explore the incredible history and composition of concrete with Matt Carlton and Lee Lawrence of WJE. You'll never see concrete the same way again.Notes From The EpisodeRheology(/riːˈɒlədʒi/; from Greek ῥέω rhéō, "flow" and -λoγία, -logia, "study of") is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a liquid state, but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force. It is a branch of physics which deals with the deformation and flow of materials, both solids and liquids.Flying buttress(arc-boutant, arch buttress) a specific form of buttress composed of an arched structure that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall outwards, which are forces that arise from vaulted ceilings of stone and from wind-loading on roofs.The defining, functional characteristic of a flying buttress is that it is not in contact with the wall it supports, like a traditional buttress, and so transmits the lateral forces across the span of intervening space between the wall and the pier. To provide lateral support, flying-buttress systems are composed of two parts: (i) a massive pier, a vertical block of masonry situated away from the building wall, and (ii) an arch that bridges the span between the pier and the wall — either a segmental arch or a quadrant arch — the flyer of the flying buttress.The Pantheon (Was Built Out Of Concrete)The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 142 feet (43 m).Portland Cement Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the mid 19th century, and usually originates from limestone. It is a fine powder, produced by heating limestone and clay minerals in a kiln to form clinker, grinding the clinker, and adding 2 to 3 percent of gypsum.[clarification needed] Several types of Portland cement are available. The most common, called ordinary Portland cement (OPC), is grey in colour, but white Portland cement is also available. Its name is derived from its similarity to Portland stone which was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. It was named by Joseph Aspdin who obtained a patent for it in 1824. However, his son William Aspdin is regarded as the inventor of "modern" Portland cement due to his developments in the 1840s.[1]Concrete Petrography Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The classification of rocks is based on the information acquired during the petrographic analysis. Petrographic descriptions start with the field notes at the outcrop and include macroscopic description of hand specimens. However, the most important tool for the petrographer is the petrographic microscope. The detailed analysis of minerals by optical mineralogy in thin section and the micro-texture and structure are critical to understanding the origin of the rock. Electron microprobe analysis of individual grains as well as whole rock chemical analysis by atomic absorption, X-ray fluorescence, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy are used in a modern petrographic lab. Individual mineral grains from a rock sample may also be analyzed by X-ray diffraction when optical means are insufficient. Analysis of microscopic fluid inclusions within mineral grains with a heating stage on a petrographic microscope provides clues to the temperature and pressure conditions existent during the mineral formation.Event - Not Your Father’s Concrete!: A breakfast seminar and networking opportunityJoin WJE for a presentation and discussion of the perils of ready-mix concrete and the state of practice. We will also discuss self-consolidating concrete, the advantages and disadvantages as well as new-age additives and what wor

Yes. We're going to have a chat about humidity. If you live in a heating dominated, dry climate you might be thinking "what good is this for me to hear?" and I wouldn't blame you. But frankly, the more we know about humidity, the better we can understand how things work without it too. So dig in and think about how moisture affects the things we design and build. In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, we’ll explore the potential upside and downside of designing and building in humid climates. If you're serious about building high performance homes in humid climates, you don't want to miss this year's Humid Climate Conference in Austin. Tickets are on sale now and we at The Building Science Podcast are thrilled to sponsor this year's conference. Don't miss it! The Humid Climate Conference is organized entirely by volunteers from the PHAUS (Passive House) Chapter in Austin with support from the national organization, PHIUS. What Is A Climate Zone? “One of the fundamental principles of building science is that buildings must be suited to their climate. When they're not, problems can ensue. Maybe it's just that they're not as efficient as they should be. Maybe it's worse. Put plastic between the drywall and framing of your exterior walls in Ottawa, and it can help control vapor drive from the interior air and its associated moisture problems (rare in all but except in extremely cold climates). Put that plastic in the same place in Georgia, and you're going to rot the walls. The first thing to know about climate zones is that we divide them up based on two parameters: temperature and moisture. The map at the top of this article, from Building Science Corporation, is one that seems to be in a lot of the curricula for home energy rater and other energy auditor classes. The fancy word for this type of division is hygrothermal, and Building Science Corp. has a nice interactive map of hygrothermal regions. The map above divides all of North America into broad regions based on temperature and then humidity. The International Code Council has a more fine-grained approach to climate zones,† as shown below in the map of the US from the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Each zone has a number, starting with 1 for the hottest US climate, the southernmost tip of Florida, and going up to 8, the coldest parts in Alaska.”-Dr. Allison Bailes, III For more images mentioned in the episode, check out the show’s webpage.

In our first episode of season 4, Kristof interviews James Geppner of Erase40 and Big Yellow Cab on the topic of behavioral change and market transformation. Building Science stands poised to change the way we deliver conditioned space to society. There are many angles by which we can dissect exactly how to do that. In this episode, we're going to explore how YOU can change the market.James GeppnerJames has advised and developed initiatives for nonprofits, new ventures and mature companies in infrastructure, technology, media, education, health and housing. Following his years in Project Finance, where he evaluated companies and studied markets, he has applied social science (and competitive theory) to a range of issues in order to see what’s shaping a market, a cause or a behavior.He founded Big Yellow Cab in order to apply social science research and the procedures of behavior change to important social and environmental issues. He has advised nonprofits, new ventures and global companies. Most recently he did an extensive analysis of the market for passive buildings and the decision-making process of buyers, funders and end users in order to find clues as to how to increase the size of the market and how to reduce the barriers to widespread adoption of passive technology. He founded Erase40 in order to develop market based initiatives that drive up demand for passive buildings and in order to serve as a decision lab for different players in the building ecosystem. He is a graduate of NYU and of SGIB’s investment banking program. LinksErase40Big Yellow CabFreakanomics Radio Episode (Mentioned) 

Live from the Texas Society of Architects 2017 Expo and Convention, we're proud to bring you a series of episodes exploring "the multiple dimensions of beauty" through interviews with some phenomenal architects, builders, and consultants. In this episode we interview water engineering expert, Gary Klein of Gary Klein & Associates.Gary KleinGary Klein, President of Gary Klein & Associates has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1974. One fifth of his career was spent in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the rest in the United States. Mr. Klein has a passion for hot water: getting into it, getting out of it and efficiently delivering it to meet customers' needs. After serving 19 years with the California Energy Commission, he has provided consulting on sustainability since 2008. Mr. Klein received a BA from Cornell University in 1975 with an Independent Major in Technology and Society with an emphasis on energy conservation and renewable energy.Special thanks to Bautex Systems for their generous support of our live recorded episodes at the 2017 TxA Expo & Convention. Be sure to stop by their website, learn about their innovative product, and say hello for us.

Live from the Texas Society of Architects 2017 Expo and Convention, we're proud to bring you a series of episodes exploring "the multiple dimensions of beauty" through interviews with some phenomenal architects, builders, and consultants. This episode features an interview with Dr. Jules Elkins of The University Of Texas at Austin and The East Wall Consulting. Dr. Jules ElkinsDr. Elkins’s research and teaching is in environmental health, and healthy indoor environments. She is particularly interested in low-dose chemical exposures, especially during the period from preconception to early childhood. Her interests focus on how exposures can be practically and cost-effectively reduced or prevented based on evidence-based models of what interventions measurably work. Specific projects and work includes exposures in schools from poorly ventilated classrooms, exposures from proximity to highly trafficked roadways, and maternal and child exposures from the food they eat. Dr. Elkins is particularly interested in the concept of the Healthy City. Given that we increasingly live in an urbanized world, how can we design away our environmental health problems, and what are the evidence-based outcomes from such design, considering both health and economic metrics? Dr. Elkins also speaks and consults on constructing healthy buildings. This includes choosing healthy materials, optimizing healthy design, and evidence-based outcomes of exposures in indoor environments. This work ranges from green buildings to building for clients with chemical sensitivities.Big thanks to the Texas Society of Architects and our sponsor Bautex.

Live from the Texas Society of Architects 2017 Expo and Convention, we're proud to bring you a series of episodes exploring "the multiple dimensions of beauty" through interviews with some phenomenal architects, builders, and consultants. This episode features an interview with Peter Pfeiffer of Barley Pfeiffer Architecture. Peter L Pfeiffer, FAIAPeter Pfeiffer wears many hats.  He is a LEED accredited professional Architect,  a licensed Interior Designer,  Building Scientist and Property Developer & Manager, who has spent the past 36 years designing and developing pragmatic high performance buildings and homes. EEBA, the national Energy Efficient Building Association, awarded Mr. Pfeiffer the Conference Chair’s Award in 1994 for his career accomplishments pioneering environmentally sensitive architecture.   In 2004 he was one of the first architects in America to be named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his life-long commitment to "mainstreaming green building in North America”.  He is a founding principal of Barley | Pfeiffer Architecture, a firm recognized nationally for its pioneering use of environmentally responsive design and construction techniques.  Their work has been published both in the United States and abroad in such diverse venues as the Washington Post, The New York Times,  Fine Homebuilding,   Better Homes & Gardens magazine and on-line where they have been awarded “Best Of Houzz” in the Design and Service categories for two consecutive years.  He has been a guest on National Public Radio, the HG-TV network, as well as on The Discovery Channel and This Old House.The National Association of Home Builders honored him as the “National Green Advocate of the Year” in 2003 for his life-long achievements in “mainstreaming” green building.  Peter has been an active charter member of the NAHB Green Building Subcommittee since its inception in 1999 and has been active in the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program.  In 2006 Residential Architect cited him as one of the 10 most influential residential architects of past decade.  Recently Peter was nominated for the prestigious Hanley Award for his meaningful efforts to advance green building in America. 

Live from the Texas Society of Architects 2017 Expo and Convention, we're proud to bring you a series of episodes exploring "the multiple dimensions of beauty" through interviews with some phenomenal architects, builders, and consultants. This episode features an interview with Kristen & Michael Padavic of PSW Real Estate. PSW Real EstatePSW Real Estate, LLC is a Texas real estate developer that designs and builds communities of high-quality green homes in urban areas. PSW creates homes that offer proximity to work, school and other important resources while implementing energy efficient construction methods and materials. These key elements promote urban density and conservation, reduce waste, and engender social connectivity.Michael PadavicMichael joined PSW in late 2011 to develop and lead the newly created design and planning group within the office as part of an initiative to move the architectural development of PSW Homes in house, an aim for greater efficiency and unified vision.After achieving a Master in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Michael honed his skills working for several small to mid-size firms in Chicago, managing a variety of projects from high-rise residential towers and high-end renovations to school restoration and public libraries. He currently holds architectural licenses in both Illinois and Texas.Specialties: Single family, multi-family and commercial architecture; Sustainable design; Building Information Modeling (BIM)Kristen PadavicKristen moved her family (with Michael, above) to Austin, Texas to join PSW, and Austin-headquartered urban infill home builder after working in Chicago, IL for nearly a decade.  Over the past several years, her architectural team has grown to nearly ten employees, as the PSW team has grown into multiple markets in Texas and Seattle. The team is comprised of a variety of disciplines, including architecture, civil engineering, construction and sales, that all bring unique expertise to the process of designing urban infill communities. Special thanks to Bautex Systems for their generous support of our live recorded episodes at the 2017 TxA Expo & Convention. Be sure to stop by their website, learn about their innovative product, and say hello for us.

Pour yourself a hot drink, grab a blanket and sit near the crackling logs for this holiday special episode. We're looking back at the last 3 years and looking ahead to our 4th season of the show. Be sure to check out our end of year survey and submit your ideas for episodes in season 4!Thank you so much for listening to our show for the last 3 years. We plan on delivering more great episodes in 2018 and hope you'll join us for the ride! 

Live from the Texas Society of Architects 2017 Expo and Convention, we're proud to bring you a series of episodes exploring "the multiple dimensions of beauty" through interviews with some phenomenal architects, builders, and consultants. This episode features an interview with Darrell McMaster, a builder from Boerne, TX who runs a company called Sustainable Homes of Texas. Darrel has been building homes for over 40 years. He comes from a family of builders, with three generations still active in the home building industry. He is a Master Builder, proud of his craft, and forward thinking in his application of systems and processes.Darrel says, “the theory is simple if you have to frame on top of the concrete you set up, or build the cabinets that are attached to the wall that you framed you are going to do it right the first time”. He's experienced in production, multi-family and custom home building and endeavoring to show that sustainable homes are not only affordable but possible, not only in custom homes but in production homes, as well as multi-family communities.Special thanks to Bautex Systems for their generous support of our live recorded episodes at the 2017 TxA Expo & Convention. Be sure to stop by their website, learn about their innovative product, and say hello for us.

Update:Apologies for the inconvenience with the last audio file - it appeared to be fine on our side, but was corrupted in the upload process. We appreciate all the feedback and are so thrilled you couldn't wait to hear more! As requested, a new file has been uploaded on a solid connection. Please let us know if you're experiencing any issues and enjoy the episode! ___________________________________________________________________Positive Energy has built its success around deeply understanding enclosures and how they interact with mechanical systems. We intimately know the HVAC equipment out there. And it hasn’t been easy to get architects, builders, and installers to adopt a new and “unknown” technology. But that’s exactly what we endeavor to do with each project. And you’ve probably guessed by now that we’re talking about VRF here. It’s a big deal. It’s the way our industry is headed. And it’s worth understanding and using on your projects. In this second of the two part series on VRF, The Building Science Podcast brings you a whole host of information on VRF systems to help you better know, understand, and implement this technology in your projects with a great conversation between our host Kristof and guest John Chavez. Thanks to the generous support of Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating, we're proud to bring you this latest installment of The Building Science Podcast focused on VRF technology and how to bring it to your projects.

Special Edition - Just Released. Listen and learn why you don't want to miss this event! Coming up next Friday 10/13/2017 here in Austin. Join Kristof Irwin and guest experts Matt Carlton and Brian Roeder for lively discussion on the surprisingly rich topic of stucco cladding systems. You'll never look at a stucco wall the same way again.Special thanks to UltraAire for their generous support.Symposium Details Hosted by: AIA BEC: Austin & RCI, Central TexasDate & Time: Friday, October 13th, 8:30am-5:30am, registration opens at 8:00amLocation: JJ Pickle Research Center, Commons Conference Center, 10100 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78758Price: Early Bird (unitl 9/15) $150/person, General Admittance (9/16-10/12) $190/person, Day Of (10/13) $225CEUs: 6.5 LU AIA HSW Credits

Join Kristof for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Zoltan Nagy on intelligent environments and how building science principles are guiding predictive analytics to shape the future of building and home operations. As more intelligent buildings emerge, occupant-centric solutions to IAQ issues, mechanical issues, and energy issues can be addressed. The Intelligent Environments Laboratory (IEL), led by Prof. Zoltán Nagy, is an interdisciplinary research group within the Building Energy & Environments (BEE) Program of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE) in the Cockrell School of Engineering of the University of Texas at Austin.The aim of their research is to rethink the built environment and define Smart Buildings and Cities as spaces that adapt to their occupants and reduce their energy consumption.

It's time to find the reset button. Time to re-examine our view of what we know about delivering conditioned space to our clients, to ourselves. The upside potential in buildings is staggering. From some vantage points, it's astounding and inexplicable why the very places we live continue to be held in a laggard state of performance relative to what's possible. Our industry transition is held captive to an outdated vision. Without a proper vision, our mission, strategy and tactics are ineffective. We are all front line advocates, operating within our spheres of influence. What creates effectiveness is knowing why we are engaged in a particular next action and how that relates to moving the industry and the market forward. Why comes first, then what. Many of us can't effectively advocate for best practices in homes/buildings- not because we don't know what to do. Rather it's because we don't know why we need to do what we want to do. If we don't know why then we can't effectively advocate for change with our project teams and the pent-up transition will continue to move forward at a languished pace; albeit inexorably. In this episode Kristof shares some ideas to help us find our reset buttons, or at least pose the idea that hitting reset is worthwhile. 

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Stephen Colley on earthen construction. Stephen currently practices architecture and runs his own architecture firm and is a long-time practitioner of green design and sustainable living. From 2010-2012 he served as the Program Manager in Green Initiatives for Palo Alto College in San Antonio developing training courses related to sustainable design and construction.Stephen also participated in the Alamo Colleges Chancellor’s Council on Sustainability helping to write a new more sustainable policy for the Alamo College District.  The new policy was approved by the Board of Alamo Colleges in August of 2012. In his previous position as the Green Building Coordinator for Build San Antonio Green, he developed the criteria for San Antonio’s residential green building program, Build San Antonio Green, recognized by the National Association of Homebuilders as the Green Building Program of the year in 2009, and served on the Mayor’s (San Antonio, Texas) task force on Sustainable Policy as the City charted a significant shift away from conventional building, development, and transportation policy. Stephen was chosen by the National Association of Home Builders as one of the original stakeholders to write the Green Policy for the organization as basis for their nation-wide residential green building program, National Green Building Standard™.In 2005, he co-authored the Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting for the Texas Water Development Board (3rd edition). The Manual is widely distributed and used as a reference for potable and non-potable rainwater harvesting system publications. He is also the former Chair of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, a LEED® Accredited Professional, and President of Earthen Construction Initiative, a non-profit organization to advance and promote earthen construction. 

Noise can  have an adverse impact on people in offices, classrooms, hospitals and other commercial buildings (European Agency for Safety & Health at Work, 2005), interfering with their daily activities at work or school and at home. People’s performance levels and ability to concentrate can be negatively affected by noise and it can make it harder for them to share knowledge with one another.Join Kristof in this continuation of our IEQ series as he discusses acoustics and sound quality across the architectural spectrum with Keith Simon and John Poesnecker. Be sure to check out this wonderful TED Talk by David Byrne on sound and architecture.

How good should the building envelope be? How much energy should a building use? Finding answers require putting the building in context with the complex, interconnected, global networks of materials and resource flows in which they exist. Join Kristof for a wide ranging and slightly geeky discussion w Dr William Braham on systems ecology, exergy, emergy, and why a climax forest is a model for power and efficiency. Dr. William W. Braham FAIA is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Chair from 2008 to 2011 and is currently Director of the Master of Environmental Building Design and Director of the TC Chan Center for Building Simulation and Energy Studies. He received an engineering degree from Princeton University and an M. Arch. and Ph.D. Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught since 1988. At Penn, he teaches graduate courses on ecology, technology, and design. At the Chan Center, his most recent projects have been the Sustainability Plan, Carbon Footprint, and Carbon Reduction Action Plan for the University of Pennsylvania.See more of Dr. Braham's work on his website.

In this episode, Kristof interviews Sean and Ian Harris, the owners of a duct sealing company called Aeroseal of Austin in Austin, TX. You'll hear discussion on why duct sealing is such a crucial component of healthy delivered air and energy performance of mechanical systems.Sean Harris has been developing his interest in residential home construction since participating in a remodel project, certified by Austin Energy’s Green Building Program in 2005. With a degree in business administration, Sean combines his interest in green building and knowledge of business systems. Sean oversees the operations of Positive Energy and including product development, quality control, staffing, and marketing/sales. He is also a certified RESNET energy rater and conducts home performance inspections, energy code tests, ECADS, and HERS ratings.

Join Kristof in a wide-ranging discussion of building science topics with consultant John Semmelhack of Think Little. John Semmelhack is the owner of Think Little. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant, a member of the Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) Technical Committee, and is a PHIUS Trainer for the Certified Passive House Consultant and PHIUS+ Rater training programs. He sits on the boards of the Passive House Alliance U.S. (PHAUS) and the Passive House Alliance U.S. – Capital Chapter.John is also a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rater, a Technical Advisor to builders in the EarthCraft House Virginia green building program, and a BPI-certified Building Analyst. He is a graduate of the Leeds School of Business (no, not that “LEED”) at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In the continuation of our Indoor Environmental Quality series, Kristof discusses Indoor Light Quality with Keith Simon and Matthew Tanteri. This episode is sponsored by Risinger & Co. Keith and Matt are so appreciated for being such rock stars and for appearing on the podcast more than once. We couldn't do it without your expansive minds! 

In this first of a two part series on VRF, The Building Science Podcast brings you a compelling argument for why VRF technology matters and will follow up with an episode about how to consider and utilize VRF technology on your projects. Thanks to the generous support of Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating, we're proud to bring you this latest installment of The Building Science Podcast focused on VRF technology and why it's important.

In today's episode, we are joined by Keith Simon of BES/Terracon and Dr. Allison Bailes of Energy Vanguard to discuss moisture issues associated with the use of spray foam insulation in attic assemblies. There's a little bit of background information on Joe Lstiburek's article called "Ping Pong Water & The Chemical Engineer" that you'll want to check out if you're trying to better understand where this conversation is coming from, as well as a few other Energy Vanguard articles to help wrap your head around it.We also mention some cool RHT sensors in the show, which you can check out here. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for updates on The Humid Climate Conference 2017 in the new year. Big thanks to Ultra Aire Whole House Dehumidifiers for sponsoring this great conversation.

In this special Halloween short episode, we explore a frightening tale of invisible specters in an otherwise beautifully designed home... all because nobody wanted to look at the mechanical design. 

In the continuation of our Indoor Environmental Quality series, Kristof interviews Robert Bean in a 2 part series on thermal comfort. Robert Bean is an industry leading thinker and engineer. We think you're going to love this interview. This episode is sponsored by Ultra-Aire Whole House Ventilating Dehumidifiers

In the continuation of our Indoor Environmental Quality series, Kristof interviews Robert Bean in a 2 part series on thermal comfort. Robert Bean is an industry leading thinker and engineer. We think you're going to love this interview.  Robert Bean is president of Indoor Climate Consultants Inc. and director of www.healthyheating.com. He is a Registered Engineering Technologist in Building Construction and a Professional Licensee in Mechanical Engineering and provides services related to the design of buildings and indoor environmental quality systems. He serves on numerous advisory boards and technical committees including ASHRAE 6.1, 6.5, 7.4, SSPC 55 and the new ASHRAE Presidential Residential Building Committee.Big thanks to Risinger & Co. for sponsoring this episode! 

This introduction marks the beginning of a series on Indoor Environmental Quality. It's one of the most important topics we can discuss because we're exploring intersections of the inextricably linked fields of health and building sciences. We will discuss the constituent parts of IEQ in detail in hopes that you come away more informed to make better decisions for your clients.

In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, Kristof explores all the great mysteries of water (especially the water you don't see).The Commonly Known Stages of WaterPure water is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. Water can occur in three states: solid (ice), liquid, or gas (vapor).Solid water—ice is frozen water. When water freezes, its molecules move farther apart, making ice less dense than water. This means that ice will be lighter than the same volume of water, and so ice will float in water. Water freezes at 0° Celsius, 32° Fahrenheit.Liquid water is wet and fluid. This is the form of water with which we are most familiar. We use liquid water in many ways, including washing and drinking.Water as a gas—vapor is always present in the air around us. You cannot see it. When you boil water, the water changes from a liquid to a gas or water vapor. As some of the water vapor cools, we see it as a small cloud called steam. This cloud of steam is a miniversion of the clouds we see in the sky. At sea level, steam is formed at 100° Celsius, 212° Fahrenheit.The water vapor attaches to small bits of dust in the air. It forms raindrops in warm temperatures. In cold temperatures, it freezes and forms snow or hail.But what about this mysterious fourth state? Tune in to find out! Also, be sure to check out this psychrometric app to run your own humidity experiments.

In this episode, Kristof interviews TreeHouse CEO Jason Ballard on his path into creating a more sustainable building supply retail space. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Texas, our co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard developed a personal connection with the pine forest, coastal prairie, and “big thicket.” In exploring nature, he learned the intricate ways in which humans and the planet rely on each other. At the same time, nearby petrochemical refineries clearly demonstrated the degradation that people can bring to the environment and their own health.Jason studied ecology and biology to understand the underlying causes of environmental and human health issues. He learned that our impact on the natural world and our own lives are immediately affected by our approach to one of our most basic needs, shelter.While working in green building along the front range of Colorado, Jason sprouted the idea for TreeHouse. He wanted to build a place that enabled and empowered people to reimagine their homes toward a true north of sustainability, beauty, and health.

This episode will focus on the practical and philosophical motivations to shift the industry focus to a more comprehensive building process that integrate teams, systems, and deliver better results. We will attempt to provide clarity for creative and logical solutions that can enable architects and builders to make this kind of philosophical shift toward a more outcome based future. Join us as Kristof interviews Corey Squire from Lake|Flato Architects for a great conversation! COREY SQUIRE, LEED AP O+MSustainability Coordinator  Corey works with all Lake|Flato teams to establish sustainability goals, analyze designs with simulation software, and collects post-occupancy performance data. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. In 2012, Squire was awarded the Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Research Fellowship to study building post-occupancy energy performance and sustainable design processes.

In this brief episode, Kristof runs down the basics of the vapor compression cycle existent in many HVAC technologies with which we're familiar. And the episode takes place in a van. So prepare yourself for the soothing background hum of the open road while Kristof records his thoughts with a mobile microphone. 

In this episode, Kristof interviews Keith Simon and John Posenecker of Building Exterior Solutions on how we can do better work in the construction and design industry.Keith A. Simon is a Registered Architect, Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), and Legacy LEED AP with over 10 years’ experience in architectural design and building enclosure consultation. Mr. Simon is a Senior Architect at Building Exterior Solutions, Inc. and adjunct faculty at the University of Texas School of Architecture (UTSoA) in Austin. His consulting experience includes investigation, analysis, repair design, construction administration, testing, and peer review of design phase documentation. Mr. Simon was the founder of the Austin Building Enclosure Council (BEC: Austin) and currently serves as a board member for bothBEC: Austin as well as the Austin Passive House Alliance US (PHAUS). Mr. Simon is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), and the Texas Society of Architects (TSA) Codes and Standards Committee. Mr. Simon was awarded the 2012 Emerging Professional Honor Award by the Austin AIA.John Posenecker is also an incredibly talented and accomplished engineer, but we couldn't find his professional biographical information. We'll update once he sends it.

In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, Kristof interviews Adam Reiser of Shelter Builders. We'll explore why construction practices aren't considered a public health issue and hear from Adam's personal story with a house that caused serious health issues.In 2013, Adam and his family found out that their beloved house was filled with a dangerous toxin that was making them sick. After deciding to tear it down, they were unable to find a builder to help them rebuild a healthier, safer home – so they did it themselves. Today, their house is the Shelter model home – and one of the healthiest houses anywhere in America.Adam has spent his entire professional life as a champion for health and health education. He has spent the last six years working with the Engine 2 program and Whole Foods Market, developing healthy eating education curriculum, programs and events. He is the founder of FoodCoaching, a national training program for people helping others make healthier diet & lifestyle choices. He is the co-founder of Jack & Adam’s Bicycles in Austin, one of the leading cycling and triathlon lifestyle stores in the country.Married with two children, Adam is a graduate of Rice University, where he was a captain of the Track & Field Team. He also has a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, and gave up a perfectly good career as a Assistant District Attorney in Houston in order to help people find and sustain their health. He is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Join The Building Science Podcast on a California adventure to learn about radiant heating and cooling panels made by Messana.Messana is a small company based in Italy and California with big ideas. They are passionate advocates of RADIANT COOLING, committed to change the way spaces are conditioned to improve the thermal comfort of their occupants, all while lowering the carbon footprint.We were lucky enough to mix things up and change our episode format with some live interviews with the Messana team! 

In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, we interview the great Dr. Allison Bailes of Energy Vanguard Blog about all things HVAC. From Dr. Bailes world renowned blog, Energy Vanguard: Allison Bailes, III, Ph.D."It took me a while, but I've finally figured out how best to use my PhD in physics (University of Florida, 1998). I've always loved science, and I started off on the traditional academic path after graduate school, but that wasn't really enough for me. I loved teaching, but I needed to find a way to use my interest in energy and the environment as well as my love of buildings, especially houses.A lot of little steps along the way brought me to where I am now:Reading The Integral Urban House in the '80sBuying the Real Goods compendium the Alternative Energy Sourcebook (now called the Solar Energy Sourcebook) in the early '90sSubscribing to Home Power magazine in 1994Building and using a solar cookerServing on the Gainesville Energy Advisory Committee while in grad schoolWatching (and helping a little bit) my PhD thesis adviser build an off-the-grid solar house in FloridaWhat really started the ball rolling for my new career and the founding of Energy Vanguard, though, was when I built a house myself. In 2001, I bought a piece of land and spent the next two years building a green home that's beautiful, efficient, and comfortable. Having never built anything bigger than a bookcase prior to taking on this project, I had a steep learning curve in front of me—and I loved it!After finishing the house in 2003, I became a home energy rater and left academia for my new career in the field of high performance homes. My first business was called ab3 energy, and I offered home energy ratings and building science consulting. When that turned out not to be enough to keep the business afloat, I started offering Manual J heating and cooling load calculations, and I even got into the contracting business. I did air-sealing, duct-sealing, insulation, and crawl space encapsulation to provide homeowners with a comprehensive package to improve their home's performance.That business was going well when life threw some curve balls at me, so I ended up going to work for another home performance contractor (The Hoots Group) in Atlanta. I learned many new business and contracting skills, and then got the opportunity to work for one of the premier energy efficiency and green building organizations in the country—the Southface Energy Institute. At Southface, I started off as the regional manager for the EarthCraft House program and then also became the manager of Southface Energy Rated Homes, their HERS rating providership. Again, I learned a lot there that would have been much harder to learn on my own.In 2008, I decided that I really wanted my own company again, so I left Southface and started Energy Vanguard. In some ways, this company is a continuation of ab3 energy, but it's also a lot more than that. Energy Vanguard is more about teaching and less about fixing, although we do offer HVAC design services. It's focused more on the big picture—creating markets, spreading the word (such as for Energy Efficient Mortgages), expanding networks—and less on individual components. I see this company as being on the forefront of change—the vanguard—in the way we see and use energy in our homes.It's been a bit of a winding path, but I'm doing what I love now and feel that I've finally figured out how to combine my interests, skills, experience, and education in a way that lets me serve clients to the best of my ability. The fact that Energy Vanguard is growing in a down economy is testament that I've made good choices. It's also evidence that you can succeed in this field as well. There's plenty of room for growth here.Please let me know how Energy Vanguard can help you, whether it's with training, as your HERS rating provider, or with some other building science related need you have."-- Allison A. Bailes III, PhD

In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, we dive into part 5 of 5 on the control layers that we use to separate ourselves from the external environment. This episode explores the thermal barrier and how it interacts with the other control layers.

In this episode of The Building Science Podcast, we dive into part 4 of 5 on the control layers that we use to separate ourselves from the external environment. This episode explores the vapor barrier and how it interacts with the other control layers.

In part 3 of our 5 part series, Living Inside Anywhere, we dive into the Air Control Layer of the building assembly. Although understanding the assembly as a fully integrated system is crucial, breaking things down can be useful. 

In part 2 of our 5 part series of Living Inside Anywhere, we explore the air control layer and what it means for your project.

The building enclosure is a complex system that is configured differently for every project. In this 5 part series, we'll break down each control layer and hopefully demystify it!