Ep44-Getting Schooled on Passive House

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. 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!  

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.

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.

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 aren't enough at this moment in time. We take a pass at understanding the numbers behind them. We also spend the second half of the podcast talking about the materials that we either must, or absolutely should not specify. Wood is good, steel and concrete are bad, but anyone in the industry knows that this doesn't leave us with a simple puzzle to solve. Be sure to head over to Greenbuildingadvisor.com for additional content and related articles. The cocktail of the episode is the Bennett Cocktail. Be sure to check our our lame Facebook page for a detailed recipe. As always, our theme music is Zelda's Theme by Perez Prado, and our featured song this episode is "747" by Bill Callahan.

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 and cons of solar storage, when to consider them, and your options for installation.

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, their firms are working on an LBC project, The Ecology School in Saco, Maine. They discuss the 7 petals (and 20 imperatives) put forth by the LBC in detail and chat about how this process has fundamentally changed how they practice as architects. Be sure to head over to Greenbuildingadvisor.com for additional content and related articles. The cocktail of the episode is a Notorious F.L.I.P. Be sure to check out our lame facebook page for a detailed recipe. As always our theme music is Zelda's Theme by Perez Prado, and our featured song this episode is "Buoys" by Panda Bear.

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 house (or building). Be sure to head over to Greenbuildingadvisor.com for additional content and related articles. The cocktail of the episode is Hot Buttered Rum! and a fantastic cranberry mocktail of Phil's creation. Be sure to check out our lame facebook page for more detailed recipes. As always our theme music is Zelda's Theme by Perez Prado, and our featured song is Two-Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel. Stay warm, friends!

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 getting our schools to this high level of energy-efficiency.

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, our “parents of passive house” got a divorce and now you have to choose which one you will stay with for the holidays.