This week we are joined by Dr. Jonathan Foley, executive director of Drawdown, “the world’s leading source for climate solutions.“ Arguably, the richest resource for real-world tactics designed to reverse greenhouse gas emissions, Drawdown breaks its offerings into categories that include buildings, land use, electricity, transportation, and industry, among others. Tune in to learn more.

The first rule of building science is keep bulk water out, which requires good flashing details. As simple as that sounds, if you’ve ever remodeled a house, you know that it’s rarely done as well as it should be. Hear from builders—you might say they’re the Big Dogs of the flashing game—who know how to do it right.

This week industry expert Dr. John Straube joins us for the topic, “All About Rainscreens.” After defining the water management system, he explains where and when to use a rainscreen before answering questions.

Why do we need to worry about mold and fungus? What can we do to reduce the risk? How do we deal with buildings that are already infested? Special guests and experts Cheryl Ciecko and Bill Robinson discuss how to design and build to minimize microbial growth.

Building science all-stars Allison Bailes, Ed May, Marc Rosenbaum, and John Loecher join us for a discussion about energy modeling and load calculations. What’s the difference? Who should perform them? What software should be used? Tune in to find out.

Discussions about high-performance homes disproportionately center around single-family projects in suburban or rural areas—where there is space to spread out, regulations are often lax, and commercial and institutional buildings are rarely high-performance structures. When you compare that scenario to working in major cities like New York or Minneapolis, how do priorities change?

Commercial construction projects are often much larger and more complicated than residential builds, with different priorities and stakeholders involved. Are there lessons residential designers, builders, and clients can learn from the commercial building industry? Our panel says yes and identifies some. 

This week we discuss the science of concrete: what are the components that go into this durable yet brittle material? Guests Helen Watts and Trevor Acorn, both structural engineers, and precast expert Christopher Genest share their knowledge.

This episode of the BS* + Beer show features Alan Gibson, Ace McArelton, Steve Hessler, and Ilka Cassidy discussing off-site panelization. The group touts the method’s benefits as applied to both single- and multi-family projects. They address questions that include: Is panelization the solution to the trade skills gap? What are the site considerations when planning for panelized construction? And how does panelization impact architecture?

This week we take a look at wood fiber insulation, a product class relatively new to the market with many unique features. Our guests, Scott Dionne, Shaun St-Amour, Will Grupenhoff and Jim Muhaw, each representing a different manufacturer, share their expertise about the various wood fiber insulation products available and their properties, applications, sources, costs, and current and potential future role in the residential market.