Green Architects' Lounge

Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan
  • 5.0 (23)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Maine Architects Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan share their experience, knowledge, music preferences, and cocktail recipes. --Imagine going to a Building Energy conference, donning your name tag lanyard, attending a great session on an interesting topic, taking a bunch of notes, and filling your quota of power point slides for the year. This podcast is nothing like that. This is like going out to a bar afterward with the speaker and fellow architects and talking about that forum session. --Chris is a principal at BRIBURN architecture for life. --Phil is a principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects

  1. 12/10/2025

    Designing Homes That Stay Strong When It Counts

    00:00 Welcome back 01:09 Storm chaser cocktail 04:05 Passive house wildfire 10:37 Resilience vs durability 15:23 Designing for hazards 22:35 Durable cold climate details 28:54 Resilience and equity 33:52 How buildings learn 38:56 Future ready services 43:04 Outboard module idea

    47 min

  2. 11/11/2025

    Stop Scope Creep with One Meeting

    00:00 Welcome & scope creep defined  02:02 Cocktail: Classic Bramble 05:51 Why projects grow beyond plan 09:38 Program exercise: rooms, office & garage 14:45 Square footage reality check 17:40 Basements & garages aren’t “free” 21:54 Program–budget method (checklists & meetings) 28:33 Contingency & finish tiers 38:58 Fork in the road: cut scope or raise budget 55:53 Price updates, escalation & communication

    1h 1m

  3. 10/14/2025

    Build Tight, Ventilate Right: Don't Be an Airhole

    00:00 Intro & Cocktail of the Day 02:42 What We Mean by “Airhole” 08:05 Why Air Sealing Matters 14:47 Ventilation vs. Infiltration 21:19 Building Science in Action 36:31 Common Air Sealing Mistakes 42:50 Tools and Techniques 50:04 Audience Q&A and Wrap-up

    1h 1m

  4. 09/09/2025

    Don’t Let Your Basement Suck (Heat, Money, or Air)

    00:00:00 Intro & setup 00:00:53 Cocktail: Whiskey Sour (recipe + dry shake) 00:06:50 Basements: the "free room" myth 00:08:48 When a basement makes sense 00:10:47 Concrete & embodied carbon reality check 00:13:52 Phil’s numbers: foundations vs CO₂e 00:19:09 Water 101: drains, dimple mat, daylight 00:22:21 Insulation: outside vs inside 00:27:16 Slab build-up & vapor control 00:34:34 Capillary breaks + the termite shield tale 00:38:16 Foam glass underfoot (Glavel 101) 00:41:02 Slabless slab: concrete-less floors 00:46:03 ICFs: pros, cons, pour-day realities

    58 min

  5. 03/11/2020

    Ep52_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 2

    Welcome back for part 2 of Jacob's lecture from the PassivhausMAINE lecture series on addressing embodied carbon in our built environment.  We close the episode with a song from one of the bands Jacob records with; Fantasma by Mal Maiz! Enjoy!   Cheers!

    1h 3m

  6. 02/26/2020

    Ep51_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 1

    Chris and Phil were not only lucky enough to attend a lecture by Jacob Racusin, but they were also able to record it! Our friends at PassivhausMAINE invited Jacob to share his insights on low-impact, high-performance building technologies and discuss some of the ground-breaking work he has been involved in lately regarding plant-based construction and carbon sequestration in our built environment. He's a wonderful speaker with contagious passion for combating climate change through better building.  This is part one of his lecture, be sure to check out part two which will be released in about a week. Also be sure to visit our lame facebook page for cocktail recipes and links to Jacob's slide deck. Visuals help, but the the audio holds up on its own as well.  Also, new theme song. Cheers!

    1 hr

  7. 11/01/2019

    Ep50_Offsite Construction and High Performance

    Welcome to Episode #50!!! So many people are talking about offsite construction as an inevitable next step to solve the myriad housing issues we currently face, and we can't help but envision high-performance as going hand in hand with this movement. We discuss the evolution of these systems from the Sears Kit Homes of the 20's, to the race-to-the-bottom Post-war Mobile Home industry, to the Dwell Prefab dreams of the oughts, to the realities of today - both in the USA and in Europe. We'll discuss how the companies currently innovating in the space (including Phil's own BrightBuilt Home) are faring with their various business models, and what are the challenges and limitations are being faced by the different approaches. We concoct a Corpse Reviver #2 just in time for Halloween, the recipe for which can be found on our Facebook page.

    1h 10m

  8. 09/10/2019

    Ep49_Siding

    We know. You want a sustainable siding that is maintenance free and affordable. The problem is that there are just so many options from which to choose and it's difficult to wade through the ocean of literature and opinion to find the perfect siding for your sustainable home. Lucky for you, Chris and Phil have hit the record button on an in-depth conversation about siding (as well as a cocktail for the fleeting summer, the Montenegroni). Be sure to look for an upcoming article with GreenBuildingAdvisor.com and the article Chris authored for Green & Healthy Maine Homes magazine! Pro-tip it contains the chart mentioned in the podcast which can also be found at our lame Facebook page. Cheers.

    1h 15m
See All (55)

5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Maine Architects Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan share their experience, knowledge, music preferences, and cocktail recipes. --Imagine going to a Building Energy conference, donning your name tag lanyard, attending a great session on an interesting topic, taking a bunch of notes, and filling your quota of power point slides for the year. This podcast is nothing like that. This is like going out to a bar afterward with the speaker and fellow architects and talking about that forum session. --Chris is a principal at BRIBURN architecture for life. --Phil is a principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Please don't steal our stuff
  • Show Website
    Green Architects' Lounge

You Might Also Like