The Building Science Podcast

In part 3 of our 5 part series, Living Inside Anywhere, we dive into the Air Control Layer of the building assembly. Although understanding the assembly as a fully integrated system is crucial, breaking things down can be useful. 

In part 2 of our 5 part series of Living Inside Anywhere, we explore the air control layer and what it means for your project.

The building enclosure is a complex system that is configured differently for every project. In this 5 part series, we'll break down each control layer and hopefully demystify it! 

Join Kristof as he discusses the ins and outs of attic ventilation. If you find this topic helpful or interesting, take a moment to dive into the resources below!    http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/all-about-attic-venting http://buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-102-understanding-attic-ventilation http://builditgreendallas.org/sites/builditgreendallas.org/files/...

What do you really know about your HVAC system? Well wonder no more. We've got you covered! At Positive Energy, we design high performance HVAC systems. Just to be perfectly clear, we design systems that rely on Variable Capacity (VRF) HVAC equipment.  Simply put, installers and mainstream MEP engineers launch into designs thinking about air handlers, plenums and ducts, while we start by thin...

In our very first short episode, the show's producer rambles while gives a brief overview of building science's role in societal change and how it could affect our lives.

The PHIUS+ 2015 Passive Building Standard provides the climate-specific sweet spot where aggressive energy and carbon reduction overlap with cost effectiveness. It accounts for a full range of variables including climate zone, source energy, and costs.  In cooperation with Building Science Corporation  under a U.S. DOE Building America Grant, the PHIUS Technical Committee  developed...

"“Why do we heat and cool buildings with air? How did a thermodynamically and physiologically irrational medium of heat transfer - air - become the dominant method of heating and cooling buildings?  Water is 832 times denser than air. Energy Density is directly related to the density of a material. Water can capture and channel far more energy per unit volume than air. Thermally active surfac...

We take the air conditioner for granted, but imagine what life would be like without it.  Once considered a luxury, this invention is now an essential, allowing us to cool homes, businesses, hospitals, data centers, laboratories and other buildings vital to our economy and daily lives. In fact, air temperature is so important to us that 48 percent of all energy consumption in American homes i...

In this episode, Kristof interviews world renowned lighting consultant Matthew Tanteri on the complexities of the windows in architecture.  Matthew Tanteri runs Tanteri + Associates to provide architectural lighting design services to architects, designers, building owners and developers.  We work on light projects large and small that include retail, residential, commercial, i...

In our first ever episode of the building science podcast, Kristof & Michael introduce a wild product that could change how your home can passively handle heat loads. A phase change material  ( PCM ) is a substance with a high heat of fusion  which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or...