Green Architects' Lounge

Designing Homes That Stay Strong When It Counts

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:00 Welcome back01:09 Storm chaser cocktail04:05 Passive house wildfire10:37 Resilience vs durability15:23 Designing for hazards22:35 Durable cold c...

Stop Scope Creep with One Meeting

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:00 Welcome & scope creep defined 02:02 Cocktail: Classic Bramble05:51 Why projects grow beyond plan09:38 Program exercise: rooms, office & garage1...

Build Tight, Ventilate Right: Don't Be an Airhole

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:00 Intro & Cocktail of the Day02:42 What We Mean by “Airhole”08:05 Why Air Sealing Matters14:47 Ventilation vs. Infiltration21:19 Building Scie...

Don’t Let Your Basement Suck (Heat, Money, or Air)

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

00:00:00 Intro & setup00:00:53 Cocktail: Whiskey Sour (recipe + dry shake)00:06:50 Basements: the "free room" myth00:08:48 When a basement makes sense...

Ep52_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 2

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back for part 2 of Jacob's lecture from the PassivhausMAINE lecture series on addressing embodied carbon in our built environment.  We close ...

Ep51_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 1

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Ep50_Offsite Construction and High Performance

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Episode #50!!! So many people are talking about offsite construction as an inevitable next step to solve the myriad housing issues we curre...

Ep49_Siding

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 choos...

Ep48_Embodied Carbon in Buildings

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Embodied carbon is carbon that is emitted in the production of materials, and the building industry is responsible for 40% of global annual emissions....

Ep47_Solar Storage

19 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Ep46_Living Building Challenge

13 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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-fre...

Ep45_The Multi-zone Heat Pump Issue with guest Dana Fischer

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In cold climates, Multi-zone heat pump systems (or multi-split systems) are developing a reputation for greatly under-performing , in terms of energy ...

Ep44-Getting Schooled on Passive House

15 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

Ep42-Passive House: PHIUS or PHI?

01 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Ep41-Ventilation for Your Tight House-Guest Sonia Barrantes-Pt2

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve come to realize that we all want simple rules of thumb to guide our design process. Unfortunately, there isn’t a rule of thumb for everythin...

Ep40-Ventilation for Your Tight House-Pt1

16 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are assuming that you are preparing to design or build a super-tight house and you’re interested in the best way to provide fresh...

Ep39-Don't Be an Air Hole-Pt2

08 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Phil and I have freshened up our drinks and now we’re ready to tackle Items 8 through 15. Be sure to go back to Part 1 to listen to Items 1 through ...

Ep38-Don't Be an Air Hole-Pt1

30 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

It’s back to the basics with this one, folks. Back in 2013, we were asked to do a presentation at NESEA for the “Fundementals” track — somethi...

Ep37-Foundations-Pt2

16 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Phil and Chris have returned to continue their discussion on foundations. In Part One, they covered slabs and frost walls, and in this part they cover...

Ep36-Foundations-Pt1

08 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Not too long ago I found myself in a deep conversation (pun intended) about frost-protected slabs with some other architects and building professional...

Ep35-An Update on the Pretty Good House -Pt2

22 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Cocktails in hand, Phil and I pick up the conversation about the Pretty Good House. Be sure to check Part 1 of this episode for some of the basics and...

Ep34-An Update on the Pretty Good House-Pt1

10 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The status quo of newly constructed homes here in America is, well, disappointing. Despite some strong market-transforming rating systems (such as LEE...

Ep33-Making Green Affordable-pt2

30 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Part Two of this episode brings us to construction details for high-performance affordable homes. Again, we feel the need to point out that we are no...

Ep32-Making Green Affordable-Pt1

09 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Now that “green” design (usually defined as design that is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly) is arguably in the mainstream, our indus...

Green Architects' Lounge - How to Choose the Right Mechanical System

20 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

With any house, there are so many variables that influence the decision to choose one particular mechanical system over another; climate, home size, c...

Green Architects' Lounge - Solar PV - Part 2

05 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Enter the Dollar! Now it's time to start figuring out just how much these solar sytems will cost. Moreover, we'll find out how to calculate your retur...

Green Architects' Lounge - Solar PV - Part 1

05 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The thing about photovoltaic(PV) Generation of electricity directly from sunlight. A photovoltaic cell has no moving parts; electrons are energized by...

Green Architects' Lounge - Guest Allison Bailes

28 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Chris and Phil have a nice chat with energy auditing guru, Allison Bailes, As a Green Building Advisor and the man behind the Energy Vanguard, Allison...

Green Architects' Lounge - Guest John Straube

02 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The Lounge welcomes John Straube for a drink and chat about the latest news in Building Science. The drink ends up being of the caffeinated variety (d...

Green Architects' Lounge - Guest James Howard Kunstler

06 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Some see the glass as half full, others see it as half empty. Jim tells you what the %$#@! is in the glass, how it got there, and what SHOULD be in th...

Green Architects' Lounge - Designed to Built, Part 2

23 Oct 2011

Contributed by Lukas

It's one thing to design a house, and it's another entirely to turn that design into a physical reality. In this episode, Chris and Phil kick back wit...

Green Architects' Lounge - Designed to Built, Part 1

14 Oct 2011

Contributed by Lukas

It's one thing to design a house, and it's another entirely to turn that design into a physical reality. In this episode, Chris and Phil kick back wit...

Green Architects’ Lounge - Guest Martin Holladay, Part 2

07 Aug 2011

Contributed by Lukas

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Green Architects' Lounge - Guest Martin Holladay, Part 1

01 Aug 2011

Contributed by Lukas

You know him, you love him, (or at least his articles) it's Martin Holladay. He was in the neighborhood, so he stopped by to chat with Chris and Phil ...

Green Architects Lounge - Net Zero Homes, Part 3

27 Jun 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Phil and Chris finally get to talk about one of their favorite topics. Net ZeroProducing as much energy on an annual basis as one consumes on site, us...

Green Architects' Lounge - Net Zero Homes, Part 2

06 Jun 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Phil and Chris finally get to talk about one of their favorite topics. Net ZeroProducing as much energy on an annual basis as one consumes on site, us...

Green Architects' Lounge - Net Zero Homes, Part 1

19 May 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Phil and Chris finally get to talk about one of their favorite topics. Net ZeroProducing as much energy on an annual basis as one consumes on site, us...

Green Architects' Lounge - Passive House - Part 3

24 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

You've probably heard about 'Passive House' (or 'Passivhaus'). And like Phil and Chris, you can feel the buzz in the air from it within the green hous...

Green Architects' Lounge - Passive House - Part 2

24 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

You've probably heard about 'Passive House' (or 'Passivhaus'). And like Phil and Chris, you can feel the buzz in the air from it within the green hous...

Green Architects' Lounge - Passive House - Part 1

24 Mar 2011

Contributed by Lukas

You've probably heard about 'Passive HouseA residential building construction standard requiring very low levels of air leakage, very high levels of i...

Green Architects' Lounge - Home Energy Monitoring - Part 3

11 Feb 2011

Contributed by Lukas

In the final part of this episode we talk about the cost of some of these home energy monitoring systems, and what the future holds for this budding i...

Green Architects' Lounge - Home Energy Monitoring - Part 2

16 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

In this part of the episode, Chris, Phil, and Peter discuss the different types of home energy monitoring systems and what you should expect from each...

Green Architects' Lounge - Home Energy Monitoring - Part 1

06 Jan 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Troast of Energy Circle stops by to share a drink with Phil and Chris and share his knowledge on Home Energy Monitoring Systems. In Part 1, Chri...

Green Architects' Lounge - Ground Source Heat Pumps - Part 3

26 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

I sent an email out to Jeff Gagnon and Jim Godbout and asked them five basic questions about ground source heat pumpHeating and cooling system in whic...

Green Architects' Lounge - Ground Source Heat Pumps - Part 2

14 Nov 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In part one of this episode from the Green Architects' Lounge, we only scratched the surface. Now it's time to really dig in and decide if a ground so...

Green Architects' Lounge - Ground Source Heat Pumps - Part 1

18 Oct 2010

Contributed by Lukas

If you've done any amount of research on ground source heat pumps, chances are likely that you've heard from those who have said that you'd be insane ...

Green Architects' Lounge - Biomass Boilers - Part 3

12 Sep 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 3, Chris, Phil, and Pat wrap up their discussion on BiomassOrganic waste that can be converted to usable forms of energy such as heat or elect...

Green Architects' Lounge - Biomass Boilers - Part 2

30 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2, Phil Chris and Pat continue their discussion on gasification Log boilers and introduce Pellet boilers to our listeners.

Green Architects' Lounge - Biomass Boilers - Part 1

09 Aug 2010

Contributed by Lukas

With over 20,0000 barrels of crude oil spilling into the gulf of Mexico every day as a result of the BP Deep Horizon disaster, there has never been a ...

Green Architects' Lounge - Deep Energy Retrofits - Part 3

28 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

This is the last part of the Green Architects' Lounge three-part series on deep energy retrofits. In this episode, Phil and I are basically wrapping u...

Green Architects' Lounge - Deep Energy Retrofit - Part 2

07 Jul 2010

Contributed by Lukas

This is part two of the Green Architects' Lounge three-part series on Deep Energy Retrofits. In this episode, Phil and I discuss what we feel is the m...

Green Architects' Lounge - Deep Energy Retrofits - Part 1

23 Jun 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Deep Energy Retrofits - Part 1: Our Nation is full of an existing housing stock in desperate need of improvement. There is scarcely a greener thing to...

Green Architects Lounge -- Solar Thermal

30 Apr 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Passive Solar Design

19 Mar 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Green Architects' Lounge - Air Barriers

19 Feb 2010

Contributed by Lukas

Maine architects Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan look at air barriers — one of “The Big Three” topics (along with insulation and windows) of green ...