The Building Science Podcast

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.

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.

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 Our industry transition is held captive to an outdated vision.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 wrap our head around some of the basics.

Earthen construction is not just for hippie communes in the desert. Monolithic mass wall assemblies are a big deal and require some extremely meticulous thought to pull off correctly.

Join Kristof in this continuation of our IEQ series as he discusses acoustics and the intricacies of sound with Keith Simon and John Poesnecker.

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.

How good should the building Envelope be? How much energy should a building use? Finding answers requiyre putting the building in context w 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 WB on systems ecology, exergy, emergy, and why a climax forest is a model for power and efficiency.

In this episode, Kristof interviews Sean and Ian Harris, the owners of a duct sealing company 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.

Join Kristof in a wide-ranging discussion of building science topics with consultant John Semmelhack.

In the continuation of our Indoor Environmental Quality series, Kristof discusses Indoor Light Quality with Keith Simon and Matthew Tanteri

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.