This Must Be The Place: The Building Science Podcast

In this episode, Shawna interviews Lorrie Rand, a certified passive house designer, Co-Founder and Director of Sustainability at  Habitat Studio , and Co-Founder and Design Director at  ReCover Initiative  in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lorrie shares her extensive experience with sustainable retrofits and updates on the Habit Studio's passive house retrofit project. They discuss the founding of the...

In this episode, Shawna welcomes Peter Amerongen, the President of  Retrofit Canada . They delve into Peter's extensive experience in retrofitting homes and his journey from building new, high-end houses to focusing on deep retrofits. The discussion spans various topics including the importance of retrofitting existing buildings to achieve net-zero emissions, the complexities of retrofitting c...

In this episode, Shawna welcomes Trevor Trainor, President of  Bawating Building Science , focusing on his work in Indigenous housing conditions in Northern Ontario and Arctic regions. They discuss the importance of adapting building practices to suit harsh climates, particularly emphasizing unvented roofs in Northern housing. Trevor shares insights from his hygrothermic modeling studies and resea...

Welcome to season four - woohoo! After a long hiatus, we start off with a new-too-us format: a panel discussion. Episode one is a discussion about the role of Energy Advisors in Canada, co-hosted by Blue House Energy Program Coordinator, Carla Harder. My guests include Cindy Gareau, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors, two master energy advisors, Toby Smith...

In this episode of This Must Be The Place Shawna is joined by Shay Bulmer, the founder and General Manager of Northern Homecraft Ltd., an award-winning, net-zero certified custom home company based in Vanderhoof British Columbia. Shay also serves as the current President of the Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA) in Northern BC and is the presidential appointee at the CHBA BC level. Highligh...

Innovator and disruptor Jodi Huettner joins Shawna for this episode of This Must be The Place. Jodi is the driving force behind creating and supplying Inclusive Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, for women not only in the energy efficiency space but also for active and outdoor STEM positions. She is the President and CEO of Helga Wear Inc.. Highlights from this episode: • PPE impacts many thin...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna chats with Chris MagWood, a crusader for reversing climate change and for the past 25 years he has dedicated his career to inspiring and assisting others to do the same. He currently holds two positions—Manager in the Carbon Free Buildings program at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and as Director at Builders for Climate Action, an organization whic...

Shawna is joined by Lorrie Rand in this episode of This Must Be The Place. Lorrie is the Sustainability Director at Habit Studio, a company she co-founded that specializes in sustainable renovations. Habit Studio is the leading authority on sustainable home design in Nova Scotia. Her company is also currently 8 women strong! Tune in to find out: • Why Lorrie decided to only work in Passive House....

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna chats with Kendall Ansell-sometimes referred to as a “Fairy Design Mother” and a “gender-smashing business owner”. Kendall is the owner of Belle Construction and Kendall Ansell Interiors located in Vancouver, BC. In this episode: • Find out the popular Google search term related to the construction industry that has changed in recent years. • Learn...

In this episode Shawna introduces the final theme of season 3 —how do we inspire and disrupt the industry moving forward to meet our energy efficiency targets? Her guest Jesse Hitchcock, is a senior research analyst working in energy efficiency and climate change mitigation. She is dedicated to building a decarbonized future—one where communities are sustainable and supportive for all. She is reco...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna is joined by fellow educator—Yasmin Abraham. A multi-award winner and recognized nationally and internationally for her work, she is the vision behind Empower Me -Canada’s only energy efficiency, education and behaviour change program designed specifically for underrepresented communities. In this episode: • Why language is important and helps to b...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna covers a lot of important ground with guest Kirk Johnson. He has worked passionately over the past two decades in reimagining a Canada powered by low-carbon, net-zero, sustainable energy. He has spent his career designing transformative sustainable energy programs and has taught as a professor at Humber College. Highlights from this episode: • Find...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna is joined by Chelsah Thomas, the founder and owner of Sol Invictus, energy consulting for builders and homeowners specializing in high performance, net zero and passive house. Her home is central Alberta’s first Net Zero, Passive Solar Home. In 2020 she won “Business of the Year” for Young Entrepreneur. In this episode: • Chelsah discusses her soci...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna chats with Ian Scholten, Program Director at Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise, or ICE. He is leading Bringing It Home, a major initiative which is responsible for driving community-scale energy efficiency projects. Tune in to find out: • Which of Shawna’s past guests “ lit the fire in him ” to get into energy efficiency. • Why we need to e...

Shawna chats with Nate Adams in this week’s episode of This Must be The Place. When it comes to making your home more comfortable and efficient-Nate Adams is your house guru. Author, speaker, subject matter expert and content creator. In this episode find out: • Why he says building scientists are fundamentally “magicians”. • The reason we need a “sales mindset” in energy efficiency. • Why he’s kn...

Andy Cockburn joins Shawna for a deep dive into theme 2 of Season 3: We’re kinda stuck. What do we need to do to get out of our own way? Tune in to find out why: • We need to back off bespoke buildings. • Andy says, “There has to be some room within reason to allow for mistakes to happen.” • Communication is key. Andy is the Director of Education and Training at NAIMA ( the North American Insulati...

In this episode of This Must be The Place , Shawna chats with the inimitable Ross Elliot. Known as “Mr. Energy”, he is an award-winning and sought-after energy design consultant for contractors and homeowners (even in retirement!). In 2014 he received the EnerQuality Hall of Fame award for lifetime achievement in making a lasting impact on energy efficiency and green building. In this episode: • W...

In this episode of This Must be The Place , Shawna’s guest is Vancouver-based architect, Richard Kadulski. Most recently he was inducted into the Greater Vancouver Homebuilders’ Association “Hall of Fame”. And in 2020, he was awarded the“Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Canadian Home Builder’s Association. In this episode: • Find out why Shawna refers to Richard as “The absolute rock star of the...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna is joined by industry trailblazer and natural born teacher Gail Lawlor. She has worked in a variety of capacities the past four decades—including as an air sealing contractor, auditor, retailer, researcher, consultant and of course—trainer. Tune in to find out: • How a computer glitch set her on the energy efficiency career path. • Why she has a re...

In this episode of This Must Be the Place, Shawna’s guest is award-winning building science researcher Don Fugler. He spent 25 years leading research projects for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in the areas of residential energy use, ventilation, and indoor air quality. His findings are some of the most important in building science research in the world. Tune in to find out: •...

Shawna catches up with long-time friend and colleague, Oliver Drerup in this edition of This Must be The Place. He is one of the top experts in Canada and internationally in promoting innovation and best practices in the design, construction and renovation of housing. In this episode find out: • Why Oliver says the first thing the industry needs to think about is codes and why we need standards. •...

Guest Tex McLeod returns to kick off Season 3 of This Must Be The Place! We’re back with an exciting new format that continues to deliver industry insight, decades of collective knowledge, a little humour peppered throughout, and informed direction on where building science is heading. Season 3 is comprised of three themes. Each theme begins with an essay by Shawna. The first is about history and...

Season Three of This Must Be the Place kicks off with a bang. The season will be broken into three themes, with six episodes per theme, and the first episode of each theme will start with an essay by Shawna and a guest to add their perspective on the theme. Of course there’s going to be overlap because yes, always, unavoidably, everything’s connected and all of the guests pull the threads together...

In this week’s episode of This Must be The Place, Shawna speaks with architect, Donna Sink. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana Donna has worked on urban design, at cultural institutions, and art exhibition design projects for over 25 years. In this episode find out: • Why Donna brings up the recently discovered and publicized footage of an 11-year-old Prince. Yes- that Prince! • What is was like to be...

In this week’s episode of This Must be The Place, Shawna speaks to Monica Rokicki, founder and CEO of Better Building Works . In addition to running her business and being an innovator in the industry, Monica is a passionate and sought-after presenter. In this episode find out: • The importance of coming out of silos. • How climate change is interconnected with human rights. • To breathe or not to...