The Building Science Podcast Positive Energy

Today’s episode opens up the system of systems that delivers the materials, equipment and tools we use to deliver high quality homes and buildings to ourselves. The focus is on an novel ultrasonic leak detection system. This is potentially game-changing technology that impacts the ability to confidently deliver Passive House quality air control layers. Along the way you’ll learn about the importance of the air barrier and get a glimpse of the vastness of the AEC. This is an expansive episode that covers the human side of what it will take to get us from high quality designs to high performance finished projects - and ultimately to high quality lived experiences for occupants and owners.
If you appreciate the ideas you hear on our podcast, Humid Climate Conference is the conference and the community you’re looking for.

What if it’s true that “We can not solve our problems using the same level of thinking that created them”(1)? Could it be that a building science understanding is limited? Could it be that even the clarity of understanding we gain through the building science perspective - as a collection of systems, assemblies, materials and products interacting according to the laws of science and nature - is necessary but not sufficient to cause us to build that way? Using that concept as a lens, this episode expands the systems-of-systems view of buildings to search for ways to get unstuck. Anyone working in the AEC knows that the barriers to change are solid and weighty. This is the what motivates the search for Leverage. We need leverage to multiply the force we can exert to cause change to happen in the AEC. Following the insights from Donella Meadows(2), we focus on the concept of Leverage Points - those “places within a complex system where a small change in one area can have pervasive positive impacts”. Please join us for this rich and thoughtful exploration of what it takes to bring the future we want into the present we have. Bring your caring hearts and curious minds and let’s have some fun!

Residential builders are where the rubber meets the road when it comes to delivering houses to society. Because of this, the builder perspective in the industry is tremendously important and impactful. Then again, it’s also true that, even within the same market, builders don’t all build the same way - why is this? How do we, as a society decide between the option? Are there ways of building that are objectively better than others? In this episode Kristof sits down w/ Josh Salinger of Birdsmouth Construction to attempt to unpack that question. The answers may surprise you - enjoy!

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“Engineering and science is poised to deliver a whole new thing to the world but the world isnt ready to ask” - Luke Leung (Not sure about adding the quote?)

As a society, we have entered a time where the roles of architects and engineers are converging; form and function inextricably interwoven. The role of the engineer, in particular, is due for an upgrade. It’s time to rethink norms, retool design processes, and reimagine the appropriate. Fundamentally, the role of the engeering in the AEC is poised to both expand and deepen. In this episode Luke Leung of SOM shows us all what it’s like to approach one’s role in society with an expanded and deepened perspective.

Luke is an”engineeers engineer” who is also gifted speaker who thinks deeply and expansively. If you haven’t heard him speak recently you’re in for a treat today. Chances are good that you’ll leave this episode thinking “if only more engineers could channel their inner Yoda or MLK like that”. Starting with a century old quote about the importance of teaching and understanding entropy, Luke and Kristof expand on LCA concepts in a way that shows their full potential, breadth and significance.

Along the way exploring ideas like these:

What if the concept of entropy was actually central to understanding the life cycle impacts of buildings?

What if the best thing “to do” to help move society forward in regards to the way we deliver buildings to ourselves was “to understand” the decisions we make more fully?

What if humanity’s interaction with the geobiosphere involves far more than just carbon emissions?

What if our homes and buildings directly supported human thriving; both for the outer environment and for our inner lived experience?

What’s old is new again. This episode shines a light on the current industry move back toward biogenic building materials, with a specific focus on the wood products we use for the construction of homes and buildings. The core question we explore here is “Is wood good, always and in all cases? “ What are the right perspectives to have regarding forests, trees, wood, and carbon accounting? 

The basic situation is clear: Wood comes from trees, and trees come from forests. But forests are complex ecosystems with interdependencies that are inextricably woven into a rapidly changing set of climate patterns, forest management practices, and societal demands for building materials for both today and for generations to come.

Guided by two deeply knowledgeable and thoughtful industry leaders, Chris Magwood and Jacob Racusin, we unpack the seemingly simple question of “Is wood good?” With this as a starting point other questions logically follow.

What would be the carbon outcome of not cutting the tree down? 

Where is carbon stored in forests? 

How much of that forest-sequestered carbon ends up in our lumber yards and homes? 

Are current forest management practices appropriate? 

Are the certification programs trusted to protect our forests up to the task? 

These are relevant questions that are not asked frequently enough to inform decisions about wood and other biogenic materials. 

More broadly this episode is about selecting building materials. These decisions have gotten more complicated for all involved in recent years - impacts to the geobiosphere and human health impacts are now top of mind - expanding an already vast range of material considerations that includes aesthetics, thermal and moisture properties, strength and durability, availability and cost. Still, the overarching fact of the matter is that we have arrived at a time in our industry where carbon accounting is an important new normal and tools like BEAM (Building Emissions Accounting for Materials) are here to stay so now is the time to engage.

How do we design and build affordable net-zero, carbon-negative homes? That important goal is the subject of today’s episode and is the focus of a multidisciplinary team that includes PNNL, Virginia Tech, and Green Canopy NODE. On the podcast today you’ll hear from Patti Gunderson with PNNL who is working with a talented team who are taking a thoughtful approach to this ambitious goal. One that focuses on modular design, carbon sequestering materials, thermal/energy efficiency, and a forward-looking circular approach that relies on cleverly designed, factory-built, bio-based materials right from the start. The outcome is a home that supports an owner’s right to repair (we need this with so many so-called durable products in our world today) and also allows the materials in the home to be disassembled and reused and the end of the home's lifecycle.