Our expectations of the performance of houses has changed faster than how we build to achieve that performance. So, at the beginning of a conversation in the construction industry, when I hear, “I have been building for 30 years” I think to myself, there are only two outcomes from this conversation. First, the person is putting up a guard and will not be receptive to an applied building science approach. You know, houses have to breath or you’re telling me to tighten up the house and then punch a hole in it for ventilation. On the other hand, the person may have amazing insights and experiences to share.
When I step back, I realize that I’ve almost been working in this industry for 30 years. With an emphasis on sustainable high-performance building, I still struggle to integrate what I do into mainstream building, yet I tend to learn something new every day that takes me one step closer. Having these difficult yet enlightening conversation is often where I learn the most.
At BuildTank, my mission is to use what I learn by applying building science in the field to affect meaningful change in the construction industry. This buildCAST is the next step. By having broad conversations with different players in the industry I learn something new from their story that will move us forward toward taking sustainable buildings to mainstream building.
I hope you will learn something as well. Enjoy!
Matt Blomquist is the Building Trades Instructor at Taylorville high school in Illinois and Mike Degitis is the Construction and Applied Math Instructor at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus in Denver Colorado. Although Matt and Mike are located in different states, they are making a difference in the construction industry teaching high school students the importance…
Read MoreReally Enjoyed the Midwest Building Science Symposium in KC on September 14 and 15th, 2022. This episode is a quick recap of this event from me and a few of the attendees. Next up is the Southeast Building Science Symposium OCT 12 & 13, 2022 Listen on ANCHOR now Midwest Building Science Symposium
Read MoreIn episode #16 of 2022 I spoke with Fred Malik about the Fortified Construction Program. The FORTIFIED construction method is a voluntary construction standard and program designed to help protect homes against sever weather events. Primarily wind driven damage event. FORTIFIED construction was created from decades of research that the Insurance Institute for Business &…
Read MoreGord Cooke, President of Building Knowledge Canada & Partner at Construction Instruction is one of the most influential building scientists and building science trainers in North America. He has an extraordinary ability to make complex topics understandable and meaningful for his students and clients. It was a pleasure to speak with him and to learn…
Read MoreAfter growing a successfully energy rating company, Lightly Treading. Paul Kriescher managed a merger with PCD Engineering who later merged with Bowman consulting group. Paul now wears two hats. He is the Business development manager and thermal envelope specialist at Bowman Consulting in Colorado and is Executive producer and host of Heat of a…
Read MoreTravis Brungardt of Catalyst Construction has spent more than two decades working professionally in the remodeling and homebuilding industry. He and his partner Joe Cook have brought building science and systems thinking into their company as a foundational principle for how they approach and execute their work building and remodeling homes. This episode explores Travis’s…
Read MoreMatt Blomquist is the Building Trades Instructor at Taylorville high school in Illinois and Mike Degitis is the Construction and Applied Math Instructor at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus in Denver Colorado. Although Matt and Mike are located in different states, they are making a difference in the construction industry teaching high school students the importance…
Read MoreReally Enjoyed the Midwest Building Science Symposium in KC on September 14 and 15th, 2022. This episode is a quick recap of this event from me and a few of the attendees. Next up is the Southeast Building Science Symposium OCT 12 & 13, 2022 Listen on ANCHOR now Midwest Building Science Symposium
Read MoreIn episode #16 of 2022 I spoke with Fred Malik about the Fortified Construction Program. The FORTIFIED construction method is a voluntary construction standard and program designed to help protect homes against sever weather events. Primarily wind driven damage event. FORTIFIED construction was created from decades of research that the Insurance Institute for Business &…
Read More