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 Call

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 And Fixture Limits 00:36:59 Transformer Failure Points 00:38:16 Low Voltage Beyond Lighting 00:41:28 What's Coming Next 00:42:14 Final Call

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 Clearances And Surprises 00:47:27 Show Up To The Pre-Construction Meeting 00:53:35 Final Call

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 & communication

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 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

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.