The Building Science Podcast

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. 

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.  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.

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 ASHRAE Conference and AHR Expo in Chicago for a wide ranging discussion on re-framing our perceptions of construction trades. 

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.

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. There are a lot of terms that need to be qualified here so be sure to check out the show notes for more in-depth coverage.

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.

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. 

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.

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 Klein Gary 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 Elkins Dr. 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, FAIA Peter 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 Estate PSW 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 Padavic Michael 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 Padavic Kristen 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!

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.