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!