Green Architects' Lounge

00:00 Welcome To GAL 00:02:50 The Old Pal Cocktail 00:06:14 Meet Scott Libby 00:11:30 Why Heat Pumps Belong In Maine Now 00:13:47 The Right Home For Heat Pumps 00:21:55 Insulation And The Bigger Picture 00:24:05 Multi Zone vs Single Zone 00:31:53 Why Ducted Is Worth It 00:43:27 Bad Installs And Real Complaints 00:53:45 Scott's Three Wishes 01:06:52 New Refrigerants And What's Coming 01:11:25 Final...

00:00 Welcome To GAL 00:01:42 Low Voltage Spritz Cocktail 00:07:01 Why Low Voltage Now 00:08:55 Phil's Attic Fire Story 00:12:44 Rethinking LED Circuit Math 00:17:16 Copper Costs And Scarcity 00:20:03 The Real Cost Savings 00:21:09 What Electricians Think 00:24:28 Moving The Transformer To The Panel 00:28:42 Wireless Switches And Relays 00:31:32 Is This Only For New Homes 00:34:04 The Downsides An...

Chris Briley checks in with a quick update on this week’s episode of the Green Architects Lounge. Phil is taking care of a few things outside the show, and Chris assures listeners they’ll be back on schedule soon. Until then, he’s holding down the fort with a fig old-fashioned in hand.

00:00 Welcome To GAL 00:02:48 The Last Word Cocktail 00:11:19 Why Mechanical Rooms Keep Growing 00:17:41 How Much Space Do You Actually Need 00:20:05 Think Distribution From Day One 00:22:04 Heat Pump Water Heaters 00:25:20 Ducted vs Ductless Heat Pumps 00:31:14 New Refrigerants New Space Requirements 00:32:35 Maintenance Nobody Talks About 00:34:51 ERVs And How To Route Them 00:41:52 Obstructions...

00:00 Welcome To GAL 00:33 House Burping Trend 02:47 Scorched Earth Cocktail 09:05 What Is Lüften? 11:07 Measuring CO2 13:34 Air Changes Matter 16:08 Indoor Air Problems 19:14 Burping Tradeoffs 20:19 ERVs And HRVs 23:10 Testing Old Homes 25:38 Better Material Choices 31:02 Chemicals To Avoid 35:23 Fresh Air Strategy

00:00 Show Intro 02:43 Hot Paper Toddy 06:21 Why Housing Hurts 11:36 Musical Chairs 13:07 Durability Matters 14:35 Sustainability Tradeoffs 17:07 Density And Growth 19:01 NIMBY Roadblocks 24:31 Small Project Barriers 26:11 Code Changes Coming 35:11 When Green Goes Too Far 38:38 Practical Solutions 47:12 Modular Momentum 50:15 Final Call

05:20 Back In Play 05:26 What Makes Finishes 10:19 Drywall Alternatives 12:30 Flooring Reality Check 21:56 Low VOC Paint 28:42 Exterior Coatings 32:30 Countertop Tradeoffs 36:36 Specialties Grab Bag 44:00 Smarter Appliances 56:15 Heat Pumps Ventilation 59:20 Electrical Futureproofing

00:00 Back to windows 01:11 SHGC cocktail 03:18 Sponsor break 07:00 Why windows matter 11:22 The key metrics 13:24 U-factor basics 17:36 SHGC and comfort 23:57 VT and tint 27:17 Low-E decoded 36:19 DP vs PG

00:00:00 Welcome Back 00:04:10 Why specs matter 00:10:05 Division 01 basics 00:20:30 Site and salvage 00:26:45 Low carbon concrete 00:32:45 Masonry and metals 00:33:55 Wood and toxicity 00:44:15 Decking decisions 00:57:20 Insulation and WRBs 01:08:05 Doors and hardware

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

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 & comm...

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

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 break...

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!  

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....

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...

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 fo...

Embodied carbon is carbon that is emitted in the production of materials, and the building industry is responsible for 40% of global annual emissions. Buildings are the problem AND the solution and understanding the immediate impacts of embodied carbon is absolutely vital. We define the critical difference between operational and embodied carbon, and explain why net zero energy buildings simply ar...

In this episode, Chris and Phil head over to the Portland Pod to record because they have not one, but two guests (Geoff Sparrow and Fred Greenhalgh of Revision Energy) to talk about Solar Storage! With lithium ion batteries hitting the market at ever more affordable prices, perhaps you've considered adding them to a project. The whole gang will sip fancy sunny cocktails and talk about the pros an...

What is a Living Building? It is rooted in place yet harvests all it needs (energy, water), is adapted to its climate and site, operates pollution-free, is comprised of integrated systems, and...is BEAUTIFUL. Phil and Chris talk about Living Building Challenge, a certification program that aims to transform the market place, with all it's joys and challenges. Collaborating for the first time, thei...

In cold climates, Multi-zone heat pump systems (or multi-split systems) are developing a reputation for greatly under-performing , in terms of energy efficiency. Don't freak out! Chris and Phil have special guest, Dana Fischer of Mitsubishi, over to share a beverage and get to the bottom of this problem and how to properly approach the design of multi-zone heat pumps for your energy efficient hous...

The Green Architects' Lounge is BACK! After a long hiatus, Chris and Phil are reuniting for a fresh new season of the podcast! They're kicking it of with a LIVE recording at the PassivhausMAINE 2018 Fall Forum at the Mechanics' Hall in Portland Maine. The topic: Passive House Schools! They (and the hyperbollically massive) audience will sip cocktails and discuss the hows, whys, and why-nots of get...

If you’re working on a Passive House (or Passivhaus) project, there will come a time when you will have to decide whether to certify your project through PHI (the Passivhaus Institut) or PHIUS (the Passive House Institute U.S.). Before their split in 2011, they were essentially one and the same, where PHIUS was the American “branch” of the European PHI. But due to irreconcilable differences, sadly...

We’ve come to realize that we all want simple rules of thumb to guide our design process. Unfortunately, there isn’t a rule of thumb for everything and we’re going to have to rely on some common sense, good advice, and good old-fashioned engineering to get this balanced ventilation system right. Our cocktails are refreshed and we’re ready to go.

In this episode we are assuming that you are preparing to design or build a super-tight house and you’re interested in the best way to provide fresh air for its occupants. In the old days, you’d just “let the house breathe” [shudder]. But those days are long gone. A healthy house leaks, while an energy-efficient house controls how it leaks — and this episode is all about the latter.