Amazing post with all the goodies

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Nulla sed mi leo, sit amet molestie nulla. Phasellus lobortis blandit ipsum, at adipiscing eros porta quis. Phasellus in nisi ipsum, quis dapibus magna. Phasellus odio dolor, pretium sit amet aliquam a, gravida eget dui. Pellentesque eu ipsum et quam faucibus scelerisque vitae ut ligula. Ut luctus fermentum commodo. Mauris eget justo turpis, eget fringilla mi. Duis lobortis cursus mi vel tristique. Maecenas eu lorem hendrerit neque dapibus cursus id sit amet nisi. Proin rhoncus semper sem nec aliquet.

Nulla facilisi. Vestibulum pretium, dui eu aliquam faucibus, est dui hendrerit nulla, mattis semper turpis mauris eget tellus. Nulla accumsan rutrum nibh, sed eleifend felis blandit.

Integer vel libero arcu, egestas tempor ipsum. Vestibulum id dolor aliquet dolor fringilla ornare. Nunc non massa erat. Vivamus odio sem, rhoncus vel bibendum vitae, euismod a urna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Aenean non lorem arcu. Phasellus in neque nulla, sed sodales ipsum. Morbi a massa sed sapien vulputate lacinia. Vivamus et urna vitae felis malesuada aliquet sit amet et metus.

• Consectetur adipiscing elit vtae elit libero
• Nullam id dolor id eget lacinia odio posuere erat a ante
• Integer posuere erat dapibus posuere velit

Nulla sed mi leo, sit amet molestie nulla. Phasellus lobortis blandit ipsum, at adipiscing eros porta quis. Phasellus in nisi ipsum, quis dapibus magna. Phasellus odio dolor, pretium sit amet aliquam a, gravida eget dui. Pellentesque eu ipsum et quam faucibus scelerisque vitae ut ligula. Ut luctus fermentum commodo. Mauris eget justo turpis, eget fringilla mi. Duis lobortis cursus mi vel tristique. Maecenas eu lorem hendrerit neque dapibus cursus id sit amet nisi. Proin rhoncus semper sem nec aliquet. Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.

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Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Nam at velit nisl. Aenean vitae est nisl. Cras molestie molestie nisl vel imperdiet. Donec vel mi sem.

The Field

In varius varius justo, eget ultrices mauris rhoncus non. Morbi tristique, mauris eu imperdiet bibendum, velit diam iaculis velit, in ornare massa enim at lorem. Etiam risus diam, porttitor vitae ultrices quis, dapibus id dolor. Morbi venenatis lacinia rhoncus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean non enim ut enim fringilla adipiscing id in lorem. Quisque aliquet neque vitae lectus tempus consectetur. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nunc eu nibh nulla, id cursus arcu. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Nam at velit nisl. Aenean vitae est nisl. Cras molestie molestie nisl vel imperdiet. Donec vel mi sem.

Luctus fermentum commodo

Nulla sed mi leo, sit amet molestie nulla. Phasellus lobortis blandit ipsum, at adipiscing eros porta quis. Phasellus in nisi ipsum, quis dapibus magna. Phasellus odio dolor, pretium sit amet aliquam a, gravida eget dui. Pellentesque eu ipsum et quam faucibus scelerisque vitae ut ligula. Ut luctus fermentum commodo. Mauris eget justo turpis, eget fringilla mi. Duis lobortis cursus mi vel tristique. Maecenas eu lorem hendrerit neque dapibus cursus id sit amet nisi. Proin rhoncus semper sem nec aliquet.

Nulla facilisi. Vestibulum pretium, dui eu aliquam faucibus, est dui hendrerit nulla, mattis semper turpis mauris eget tellus. Nulla accumsan rutrum nibh, sed eleifend felis blandit.

Integer vel libero arcu, egestas tempor ipsum. Vestibulum id dolor aliquet dolor fringilla ornare. Nunc non massa erat. Vivamus odio sem, rhoncus vel bibendum vitae, euismod a urna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Aenean non lorem arcu. Phasellus in neque nulla, sed sodales ipsum. Morbi a massa sed sapien vulputate lacinia. Vivamus et urna vitae felis malesuada aliquet sit amet et metus.

• Consectetur adipiscing elit vtae elit libero
• Nullam id dolor id eget lacinia odio posuere erat a ante
• Integer posuere erat dapibus posuere velit

Nulla sed mi leo, sit amet molestie nulla. Phasellus lobortis blandit ipsum, at adipiscing eros porta quis. Phasellus in nisi ipsum, quis dapibus magna. Phasellus odio dolor, pretium sit amet aliquam a, gravida eget dui. Pellentesque eu ipsum et quam faucibus scelerisque vitae ut ligula. Ut luctus fermentum commodo. Mauris eget justo turpis, eget fringilla mi. Duis lobortis cursus mi vel tristique. Maecenas eu lorem hendrerit neque dapibus cursus id sit amet nisi. Proin rhoncus semper sem nec aliquet. Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus.

.some-style { width: 960px; height: 200px; margin: 0 auto; background-color: #000000; }

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean non enim ut enim fringilla adipiscing id in lorem. Quisque aliquet neque vitae lectus tempus consectetur. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nunc eu nibh nulla, id cursus arcu.

Magna Quis

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent ullamcorper suscipit mi, id convallis risus ullamcorper eget. Curabitur ultricies elit lacinia arcu ullamcorper adipiscing. Integer velit dui, gravida semper commodo vel Nunc interdum porta ligula, eu malesuada nunc tristique eu. Integer sed mi ac velit congue vulputate sed quis lacus. Fusce tellus sem, ultricies consequat porta at, ultrices in odio. Nullam a sapien vitae erat porta faucibus rhoncus eleifend dolor. Mauris semper rutrum ante a auctor. Nullam non arcu erat, vel sollicitudin felis. Nam erat nisl, mattis euismod lacinia at, tempus quis nunc.

Quisque at dolor venenatis justo fringilla dignissim ut id eros. Quisque non elit id purus feugiat vestibulum. Phasellus eget sodales neque. Morbi eget odio nec justo consequat gravida. Phasellus dolor nisl, venenatis eget euismod et, dapibus et purus. Maecenas interdum nisi a dolor facilisis eu laoreet mi facilisis. Mauris pharetra interdum lorem eu venenatis. Praesent est diam, fringilla in hendrerit vel, ullamcorper et mauris. Vivamus risus mi, lobortis ut congue vitae, vestibulum vitae augue. Maecenas nunc odio, pulvinar id vulputate nec, porttitor at quam. Suspendisse vulputate diam eu leo bibendum feugiat. Integer luctus orci a nunc consequat eleifend. Nam tempus quam sed felis tristique faucibus. Aliquam facilisis vehicula malesuada.

Schematic for Studio over garage and mudroom addition

Some images from the model. Of course I don't think the clients can afford it but it's a good starting point. This is a one car garage with a studio space above it, a rear yard screen porch and a mudroom connecting all these. We can treat the addition as a separate unit from the existing house itself by building it to passive house standards and heating it (and cooling it) with a simple mini split heat pump. or we could ignore the cooling aspect and use a very small amount of electric heat.

Auctor consectetur ligula gravida

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi vitae dui et nunc ornare vulputate non fringilla massa. Praesent sit amet erat sapien, auctor consectetur ligula. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed non ligula augue. Praesent imperdiet magna at risus lobortis ac accumsan lorem ornare. In aliquam, sapien ac vehicula vestibulum, arcu magna aliquet velit,

I am a Passive House Designer!

Apparently, although I never got an email, I am now a Certified Passive House Designer!!

What is Passive House ?

- The passive house standard represents the highest level of energy efficiency and “green building”. - The passive house standard is where state and municipality energy codes are headed. - Public housing groups such as Habitat for Humanity and regional housing authorities and land trusts are starting to require new housing units to be built to the passive house standard as these groups tend to prioritize overall cost of ownership over initial cost of construction. - The roots of Passive House trace back to the 1970s, when the concepts of superinsulation and passive solar management techniques were developed in the United States and Canada. - More than 25,000 buildings have been built to the Passive House standard in Europe. The standard is especially common in multi-family housing where it often makes little financial sense not to build to this level of energy efficiency.

Concept “Maximize your gains, minimize your losses”. These are the basic tenets of the Passive House approach. A Passive House project maximizes the energy efficiency of the basic building components inherent in all buildings; roof, walls, windows, floors and the utility systems: electrical, plumbing & mechanical. By minimizing a building's energy losses, the mechanical system is not called to replenish the losses nearly as frequently. This saves resources, operational costs and global warming related pollution. Unlike any other structures, Passive House buildings maintain occupant comfort for more hours of the year without the need for mechanical temperature conditioning of the indoor air. The opposite has been the norm in this country where we have a history of inexpensive fuel and construction techniques with little consideration for energy losses through thermal bridging, air-infiltration, and inadequate levels of insulation.

Passive House is both a building energy performance standard and a set of design and construction principles used to achieve that standard. The Passive House standard is the most stringent building energy standard in the world The Passive House approach focuses on the following:

Strategic Design and Planning: Passive House projects are carefully modeled and evaluated for efficiency at the design stage. Certified Passive House Consultants are trained to use the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), a tool that allows designers to test “what-if” scenarios before construction begins. They are also trained to use other software tools to identify and address potential thermal bridges and moisture issues at the design stage. Specific Climate, Siting and Sizing: Passive House design uses detailed, specific annual weather data in modeling a structure’s performance. Orientation of the windows can maximize or minimize solar gain and shading. Passive House theory leans towards minimizing the surface area to interior volume ratio, favoring an efficient shape to minimize energy losses. Super-Insulated, Air-Tight Envelope (But Diffusion Open): To keep the heating/cooling in, wall assemblies require greater insulation values to “stop the conditioned air” from leaving. Walls are typically much thicker than today’s standard construction. Passive House takes great care in designing, constructing and testing the envelope for an industry-leading control of air leakage. Blower door testing is a mandatory technique in assuring high performance. Walls are designed to be virtually air tight, while allowing water vapor to dry out. “If moisture gets into the wall, how does it dry out before damage can occur?” is a fundamental tenet of modern building science addressed in Passive House design. Wall assemblies are analyzed to allow for proper water and moisture management to make a long lasting and an exceptionally healthy building. Thermal Bridge-Free Detailing: Breaks in the insulation layer usually caused by structural elements and utility penetrations in the building envelope create a “thermal bridge,” allowing undesirable exterior temperatures to migrate to and “un-do” expensive interior conditioned air and creating colder interior surfaces that encourage the growth of mold. Passive House design attempts to minimize thermal bridges via progressive mindful architectural detailing. Advanced Windows and Doors: Historically these items are the weak link of a building’s envelope and thermal defense system. Passive House places significant emphasis on specifying high performance windows and doors to address concern. To meet the high performance needs of various climate zones, windows must meet strict performance standards regarding: component insulation, air tightness, installation and solar heat gain values. Energy Recovery Ventilation: The “lungs” of a Passive House come from a heat (or energy) recovery ventilator (HRV/ERV). It provides a constant supply of tempered, filtered fresh air 24/7 and saves money by recycling the indoor energy that is typically found in exhaust air. The heat from outgoing stale air is transferred to the unconditioned incoming fresh air, while it is being filtered. It provides a huge upgrade in indoor air quality and consistent comfort, especially for people sensitive to material off-gassing, allergies and other air-borne irritants. HRV's are fast becoming standard equipment in all new houses in Vermont. Heating: One of the best benefits to implementing Passive House design is the high performance shell and extremely low annual energy demand. This allows owners to save on operational costs as they can now significantly downsize a building’s mechanical system. Passive solar gains, plus heat from occupants and appliances supply most of the needed heat. Radiant floor, baseboard, or forced hot air heating systems are unnecessary! Alternative Energy: Considering alternative energy systems on your project? Building to meet the Passive House Standard is the smartest starting point. The significant reduction in energy use, allows alternative energy to power a greater percentage of a buildings demands. Likewise smaller demand equates to smaller and more affordable alternative energy systems providing higher cost-benefit value. Passive House design puts a project within reach for achieving true “Net Zero” performance (the building generates as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year), making use of alternative energy systems smaller thus more affordable and attainable.

Ambrose Redmoon Quote

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear

Portit mollis vitae

Nullam ornare, sem in malesuada sagittis, quam sapien ornare massa, id pulvinar quam augue vel orci. Praesent leo orci, cursus ac malesuada et, sollicitudin eu erat. Pellentesque ornare mi vitae sem consequat ac bibendum neque adipiscing. Donec tellus nunc, tincidunt sed faucibus a, mattis eget purus. Nunc ipsum orci, consectetur in euismod id, adipiscing nec libero. Vivamus sed nisi quam. Donec id arcu non libero pellentesque condimentum at in mauris. Duis et lacus lectus, eu aliquet tortor. Maecenas cursus consectetur tellus non lobortis. Donec sed arcu a justo cursus varius ut et diam. Suspendisse lobortis pulvinar velit, id convallis eros pulvinar ac. Cras a lorem lorem, et feugiat leo. Nunc vestibulum venenatis est nec tempor. Nunc mattis sem in mauris posuere aliquam.

Porttitor porttitor mollis vitae placerat

Nullam ornare, sem in malesuada sagittis, quam sapien ornare massa, id pulvinar quam augue vel orci. Praesent leo orci, cursus ac malesuada et, sollicitudin eu erat. Pellentesque ornare mi vitae sem consequat ac bibendum neque adipiscing. Donec tellus nunc, tincidunt sed faucibus a, mattis eget purus. Nunc ipsum orci, consectetur in euismod id, adipiscing nec libero. Vivamus sed nisi quam. Donec id arcu non libero pellentesque condimentum at in mauris. Duis et lacus lectus, eu aliquet tortor. Maecenas cursus consectetur tellus non lobortis. Donec sed arcu a justo cursus varius ut et diam. Suspendisse lobortis pulvinar velit, id convallis eros pulvinar ac. Cras a lorem lorem, et feugiat leo. Nunc vestibulum venenatis est nec tempor. Nunc mattis sem in mauris posuere aliquam.

Designing in my sleep

Dreaming in ArchitectureI have noted before that I have probably spent more time thinking about design in my adult life than most people have spent sleeping. In this post I shall one-up myself. Sometimes I dream-design. In a dream a few days ago there were some houses moved onto our property that had been built by my late father-in-law and we had inherited them. It was in the middle of the winter and the property bore no relation to our own and my father-in-law didn't build houses and there was other strange dream stuff such as the two elderly Asian women sitting high up in a window of one of the houses eating and the sink was full of dishes that should have been frozen in another house. You get the picture. In one house, there was a specific arrangement of the stairs to the very long kitchen table which set me off into that place in my head where I design things – It seems that whether I'm conscious or not has little to do with it. I started exploring the design and pinning things down on a very personal thesis of some things I really would like to explore in how I would like to live in a house in Vermont.

The idea of a very long kitchen table that was where everything happens formed the basis of my exploration. An important part of the thinking came from a recent photo I had seen in a magazine with a hearth room off the kitchen where the ceilings were low, windows minimal and set in deep walls, books, mattresses, comfy chairs, a stone floor, and lighting only for reading. It is a perfect space for reading in the winter evenings. It is very “Slow Living” Who needs a living room? An advantage of designing while I am dreaming is that my ideas come out with greater clarity. When I wake up and sketch out my ideas I may find that none of them work very well in that they ignore some practical aspects of form and function. This design, however, identifies some issues that I will need to think about and develop. It probably isn't very marketable as it comes from so deep within my own self but it may be interesting to others in terms of thinking about how design can respond on a very deeply emotional and personal level that goes far beyond searching for the perfect floor plan.

Why Hire an Architect ?

An older post buried away and re-posted here today for ya'all with some extra muttering added.

As I have mentioned before, much of my work is for people who would never have gone to an architect in the first place, thinking that they could never afford it. Designing a custom home for someone is an incredibly complex endeavor. You can buy a set of plans relatively cheaply that may go 75% of the way towards fulfilling your needs and end up with a decent house. Most people go this route. However, some of my best work to date has been for people who are more concerned with money and value. I have been hired by clients to say “no, you can’t afford it” when they lose focus in the process of building a home and start to make a decision or series of decisions that would blow the budget. A good architect should be able to save a client at least the cost of architectural services if that is one of the stated goals. If you have $250,000 to spend on a house you can buy a plan and build a house that is worth $250,00 or you can spend $20,000 on an architect and build a house for $230,000 that gets you a better looking house with a more efficient and flexible floor plan and nicer spaces that fit your lifestyle more comfortably, a house that costs less to maintain over the longer term. Notice that I keep saying “good architect”. As with any profession there is a wide range of talent and specialties. Always ask for and check references. Find an architect and a builder who you are comfortable with. You need to develop a good relationship with these folks. They’re not just there to sell you something.

Of course if you have lots and lots of money, maybe you don't need an architect. Many problems can be solved by throwing more money at them. Perhaps a not-so great-floor plan can be solved by increasing the size of the building. If it starts looking too big you can add jigs and jogs and gratuitous dormers and gables to lessen the visual impact. Perhaps a high heating bill doesn't bother you so why bother with energy modeling and value engineering? Perhaps you are not planning on spending a lot of time in the new home so certain things are simply less important. If your caretaker discovers leaking, rot and mold 6 years down the road there are folks who are perfectly willing to deal with that too.

Be My Guest

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent ullamcorper suscipit mi, id convallis risus ullamcorper eget. Aenean sagittis eros nec eros euismod, quis dapibus leo semper. Mauris rutrum viverra adipiscing. Praesent ac lectus est. Quisque neque massa, interdum sed mollis vitae, suscipit at tellus. Praesent porta urna dolor, vel rutrum quam facilisis at. Duis consequat sapien et tortor pretium, vitae feugiat augue rutrum. Pellentesque quis aliquam est, vel vulputate purus. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Maecenas aliquet blandit semper. Ut quis felis sapien. Aenean laoreet dolor ac mattis euismod. Sed sit amet sem dignissim, sollicitudin ante vel, consequat neque. Nunc justo lacus, rhoncus ut interdum nec, iaculis mattis orci. Donec at blandit augue, nec tristique ligula. Donec euismod nulla at erat fringilla, a porttitor lorem condimentum. Aliquam ut interdum libero, at pharetra orci. Quisque fermentum, felis ut gravida ornare, eros neque egestas dui, quis sollicitudin sem sem non ante. Fusce metus lorem, scelerisque ut diam non, vehicula dapibus sapien. Sed sagittis, ante at ornare pellentesque, sem justo consequat enim, quis adipiscing quam enim ac velit. Vestibulum condimentum tempus sapien eu porttitor. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Pellentesque interdum odio vel consectetur dignissim. Fusce eget tristique nulla.

Duis at purus ut est cursus imperdiet. Sed condimentum massa in enim cursus, sed mattis elit malesuada. Nunc tincidunt magna sit amet metus sagittis tempor. Maecenas lacinia condimentum ultricies. Sed et lacus nec augue venenatis interdum. Fusce sit amet luctus augue. Aenean scelerisque porttitor ultrices. Nulla dui tellus, egestas sit amet posuere sit amet, dictum tristique mauris. Praesent sed elementum mauris. Nullam et enim eget nisl eleifend auctor lobortis et dui. Curabitur at malesuada magna. Nunc nec tincidunt mauris, vitae tincidunt enim. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse ante leo, bibendum at metus in, dignissim sodales nisi. Curabitur id augue iaculis, elementum diam eget, ultrices massa. Fusce eleifend tincidunt neque, a porta nibh faucibus non.

More Passive House Stuff

From Passive House Academy - I like the use of wine. It takes only two bottles of wine for a family of four.... or something like that. Just watch the video.

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Interdum

Quisque at dolor venenatis justo fringilla dignissim ut id eros. Quisque non elit id purus feugiat vestibulum. Phasellus eget sodales neque. Morbi eget odio nec justo consequat gravida. Phasellus dolor nisl, venenatis eget euismod et, dapibus et purus. Maecenas interdum nisi a dolor facilisis eu laoreet mi facilisis. Mauris pharetra interdum lorem eu venenatis. Praesent est diam, fringilla in hendrerit vel, ullamcorper et mauris. Integer convallis, odio ut rutrum euismod, mi purus pulvinar justo, quis mollis metus metus vitae nibh. Proin eget tincidunt arcu. Donec ante mi, elementum non adipiscing vitae, pharetra quis mauris. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Curabitur eget nibh non odio iaculis posuere. Sed ante tortor, pharetra vitae iaculis id, sodales ac tellus. Ut viverra, nulla et adipiscing condimentum, libero nisi condimentum tellus, vel pharetra neque ligula sit amet mi. Sed rutrum consectetur purus ac tincidunt.

Magna fringilla condimentum

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent ullamcorper suscipit mi, id convallis risus ullamcorper eget. Curabitur ultricies elit lacinia arcu ullamcorper adipiscing. Integer velit dui, gravida semper commodo vel, accumsan ac orci. Phasellus venenatis venenatis velit ut ultricies. Cras porta dignissim malesuada. Etiam auctor, justo et facilisis ultrices, justo mauris imperdiet ligula, vitae tincidunt justo quam fermentum nulla. Nunc interdum porta ligula, eu malesuada nunc tristique eu. Integer sed mi ac velit congue vulputate sed quis lacus. Fusce tellus sem, ultricies consequat porta at, ultrices in odio. Nullam a sapien vitae erat porta faucibus rhoncus eleifend dolor. Mauris semper rutrum ante a auctor. Nullam non arcu erat, vel sollicitudin felis. Nam erat nisl, mattis euismod lacinia at, tempus quis nunc.

Donec luctus odio eget ipsum lacinia lacinia. Suspendisse porttitor laoreet sagittis. Nulla mi justo, auctor sed posuere sit amet, pretium ac metus. Nulla porta justo ac velit accumsan faucibus. In dignissim, orci nec ultricies elementum, erat mi tristique dui, a tristique ligula quam non est. Suspendisse mattis aliquet est, at tempor ipsum lacinia a. Cras enim sapien, dapibus sit amet iaculis sit amet, pharetra non diam. Curabitur sed nisi in metus eleifend fringilla. Aenean viverra sem in quam luctus eget gravida diam scelerisque.

Quisque at dolor venenatis justo fringilla dignissim ut id eros. Quisque non elit id purus feugiat vestibulum. Phasellus eget sodales neque. Morbi eget odio nec justo consequat gravida. Phasellus dolor nisl, venenatis eget euismod et, dapibus et purus. Maecenas interdum nisi a dolor facilisis eu laoreet mi facilisis. Mauris pharetra interdum lorem eu venenatis. Praesent est diam, fringilla in hendrerit vel, ullamcorper et mauris. Vivamus risus mi, lobortis ut congue vitae, vestibulum vitae augue. Maecenas nunc odio, pulvinar id vulputate nec, porttitor at quam. Suspendisse vulputate diam eu leo bibendum feugiat. Integer luctus orci a nunc consequat eleifend. Nam tempus quam sed felis tristique faucibus. Aliquam facilisis vehicula malesuada.

SEON - building science learning group in Brattleboro

SEON or Sustainable Energy Outreach Network is a relatively new organization in the Brattleboro area. The mission from the website is to “establish a network that promotes Southeastern Vermont and its neighboring regions as a vibrant center of sustainable energy.” which sounds rather vague. I think they are trying to feel out exactly what their role in the community will be. They are off to a great start by sponsoring a monthly building science learning group. This is in a presentation and discussion format, often moderated by Peter Yost of EBN and GBA, with topics brought to the group by the participants who are mostly local builders.

“Each month over 20 building professionals meet for 3 hours to advance their understanding of building science principles especially as it pertains to the problems they confront on their worksite.  Case studies are reviewed, root cause analysis is applied, hypotheses are generated based on the physics of building science.  The challenge is that there are no clear solutions to many of the problems.  We are still learning in the midst of uncertainty and ever changing product design.  Hence the need for ongoing discussions.”

The discussions are at a pretty high level but are very accessible to everyone as a goal is to bring the general building science knowledge level in this area to a very high level, making this area even more of a hotbed for green building than it is currently. Many of these folks are way beyond the standard hour and a half presentation you tend to get in symposiums such as at Better Buildings up in Burlington – not to knock that one (definitely go!) - and, perhaps had been feeling the need for much more in-depth and collaborative discussion relevant to their own daily work.

As an architect, this is a joy to see because these are the folks that I get to work with on a regular basis. As an architect, I often have to provide a basic education in building science to both the builder and the client. Having a builder who is “hip” to green building and building science issues makes my job much easier.

I encourage any local builders, architects and designers, and any folks involved with building and energy to check this group out. They usually meet from 3 to 6, once a month on a Wednesday or Thursday. Where and when can be found on the website calendar.