Podcast · Arts & Books

Green Architects' Lounge

by Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan · English · Arts & Books

Maine Architects Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan share their experience, knowledge, music preferences, and cocktail recipes. --Imagine going to a Building Energy conference, donning your name tag lanyard, attending a great session on an interesting topic, taking a bunch of notes, and filling your quota

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 56 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 12 minNew

What Heat Pumps Actually Need to Work

Chris and Phil sit down with Scott Libby of Royal River Heat Pumps, a 41-year HVAC veteran who spent his first 25 years telling people heat pumps did not belong in Maine. He changed his mind, built a company around them, and now has 40 employees doing nothing else. They get into what actually makes a home a good candidate for heat pumps, why multi zone systems keep causing problems in high-performance houses, what bad installs look like in the field, and why the new refrigerants are about to make mechanical room sizing a lot more complicated. It is a candid, field-level conversation for…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E63 · 12 Aug 2026 · 43 min
Low Voltage Lighting is the Future
Chris and Phil dig into low voltage lighting, the quiet infrastructure shift that could change how every future house gets wired. They walk through why LED lights barely need any power in the first place, how moving the transformer back to the panel eliminates the failure-prone converters buried in cheap fixtures, and why copper scarcity and rising costs are pushing this technology forward faster than expected. Along the way they cover class two wiring rules that let non-electricians self-perform, wireless relay switches that skip three-way wiring entirely, real numbers from a project where…
E63 · 16 Jul 2026 · 1 min
A Quick Update From Chris
Chris Briley checks in with a quick update on this week’s episode of the Green Architects Lounge. Phil is taking care of a few things outside the show, and Chris assures listeners they’ll be back on schedule soon. Until then, he’s holding down the fort with a fig old-fashioned in hand.
E62 · 10 Jun 2026 · 54 min
Plan for Systems or Pay for It Later
Chris and Phil get into the mechanical room, the space every green architect underestimates and every installer wishes was bigger. They talk through what actually ends up in there, from heat pump water heaters and ducted systems to ERVs, dehumidifiers, batteries, solar inverters, and the server room your client forgot to mention until week three of construction. Along the way they cover sizing rules of thumb, the new refrigerant space requirements that will catch a lot of people off guard, why maintenance access needs to be designed in from the start, and how to think about distribution…
E61 · 13 May 2026 · 36 min
What House Burping Gets Right And Wrong
Chris and Phil take on the suddenly trendy idea of “house burping” and ask where opening the windows actually helps, and where it falls short. They talk through Lüften, CO2 buildup, VOCs, ERVs, HRVs, and why fresh air matters for comfort, health, and energy performance. For architects, builders, and building science nerds, it is a reminder that ventilation is not just about getting air in. It is about controlling how it moves.
E60 · 15 Apr 2026 · 53 min
Building Sustainably In A Housing Crisis
Chris and Phil take on the housing crisis from inside the design and building world, asking where architects, codes, sustainability standards, and local politics are helping or getting in the way. They get into housing shortage, NIMBY resistance, affordability tradeoffs, and why “heads in beds” still has to line up with durability, health, and long term performance. It is a candid one for architects, builders, and building science nerds trying to balance better buildings with the urgent need for more housing.
E59 · 11 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
The Green Spec Playbook For Cleaner Builds Part 2
Chris and Phil continue their CSI spec walk through with Part 2, moving from Division 09 finishes into specialties, equipment, HVAC, and electrical. They explain how to write greener, healthier specs that hold up in real projects, from low VOC paints and flooring to induction, ventilation, and heat pump ready details. You’ll hear practical spec language, product level considerations, and the common ways “good” intent gets lost between paper and the jobsite.
E58 · 11 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Window Specs For Greater Comfort
Chris and Phil cut through window jargon and focus on the numbers that actually move comfort, performance, and cost. They break down U-factor, SHGC, and visible transmittance, plus why “more glass” is both irresistible and a building science headache. You’ll leave with practical rules of thumb for spec’ing windows without getting played by marketing or your own energy model. Subscribe for more architects-at-a-bar building science, and share this one with the person who keeps saying “just do low-E.”
E57 · 14 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
The Green Spec Playbook For Cleaner Builds Part 1
Chris and Phil get nerdy about the most underrated tool in your CD set: the residential project manual. They walk through key spec divisions and the small callouts that protect performance, like blower door targets, temporary heat, low carbon concrete mixes, and toxicity rules that keep bad products off site. You will leave with a clearer way to write, organize, and enforce specs so substitutions do not quietly wreck airtightness, durability, or indoor air quality.
E56 · 10 Dec 2025 · 47 min
Designing Homes That Stay Strong When It Counts
Chris and Phil talk about what resilience and durability really mean when you are designing homes in a changing climate. They unpack the passive house that famously survived the Palisades fire, explore tradeoffs between fire resistance, everyday wear, and embodied carbon, and share practical rules for wet climates. They also connect building science to equity and affordable housing, and show how future proofing mechanical systems can make buildings and communities more resilient. Email: [email protected]
E55 · 11 Nov 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Stop Scope Creep with One Meeting
Scope creep isn’t a mystery—it’s math, choices, and timing. Chris and Phil break down how projects quietly grow, how to protect your budget without gutting the design, and where to spend now vs. later. We cover square-foot cost realities (Southern Maine context), why basements and garages aren’t “free,” how to align program to budget, when to bring a builder in, and the critical fork where you either cut scope or raise budget. Plus: a Classic Bramble to keep things civilized. Email: [email protected]
E54 · 14 Oct 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Build Tight, Ventilate Right: Don't Be an Airhole
Chris and Phil tackle the not-so-subtle art of sealing up your home without turning it into a stuffy cave. From smart ventilation to spotting leaky trouble spots, they’ll help you keep the air fresh, the heat in, and your “airhole” status to a minimum.
E53 · 9 Sep 2025 · 58 min
Don’t Let Your Basement Suck (Heat, Money, or Air)
Chris and Phil head underground to talk basements — those mysterious spaces that can quietly suck the heat, money, and fresh air right out of your home. From sneaky air leaks to insulation fails, they share how to spot problems and fix them before your basement becomes an energy black hole.
E52 · 11 Mar 2020 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep52_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 2
Welcome back for part 2 of Jacob's lecture from the PassivhausMAINE lecture series on addressing embodied carbon in our built environment. We close the episode with a song from one of the bands Jacob records with; Fantasma by Mal Maiz! Enjoy! Cheers!
E51 · 26 Feb 2020 · 1 hr
Ep51_Jacob Racusin Lecture - Part 1
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 invited Jacob to share his insights on low-impact, high-performance building technologies and discuss some of the ground-breaking work he has been involved in lately regarding plant-based construction and carbon sequestration in our built environment. He's a wonderful speaker with contagious passion for combating climate change through better building. This is part one of his lecture, be sure to check out part two which will be released in about…
E50 · 1 Nov 2019 · 1 hr 10 min
Ep50_Offsite Construction and High Performance
So many people are talking about offsite construction as an inevitable next step to solve the myriad housing issues we currently face, and we can't help but envision high-performance as going hand in hand with this movement. We discuss the evolution of these systems from the Sears Kit Homes of the 20's, to the race-to-the-bottom Post-war Mobile Home industry, to the Dwell Prefab dreams of the oughts, to the realities of today - both in the USA and in Europe. We'll discuss how the companies currently innovating in the space (including Phil's own BrightBuilt Home) are faring with their various…
E49 · 10 Sep 2019 · 1 hr 15 min
Ep49_Siding
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 choose and it's difficult to wade through the ocean of literature and opinion to find the perfect siding for your sustainable home. Lucky for you, Chris and Phil have hit the record button on an in-depth conversation about siding (as well as a cocktail for the fleeting summer, the Montenegroni). Be sure to look for an upcoming article with GreenBuildingAdvisor.com and the article Chris authored for Green & Healthy Maine Homes magazine! Pro-tip it…
E48 · 18 Jul 2019 · 1 hr 4 min
Ep48_Embodied Carbon in Buildings
Phil and Chris define and discuss embodied carbon in buildings, and make an impassioned case for understanding why this is absolutely the most urgent issue we face in the design and construction industry today - even ahead of zero energy building - as we work together to combat a fast-approaching climate crisis.
E47 · 19 May 2019 · 1 hr 7 min
Ep47_Solar Storage
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 of Revision Energy) to talk about Solar Storage! With lithium ion batteries hitting the market at ever more affordable prices, perhaps you've considered adding them to a project. The whole gang will sip fancy sunny cocktails and talk about the pros and cons of solar storage, when to consider them, and your options for installation.
E46 · 13 Mar 2019 · 1 hr
Ep46_Living Building Challenge
Phil and Chris talk about Living Building Challenge, a certification program that aims to transform the market place, with all its joys and challenges. Collaborating for the first time, their firms are working on an "LBC" project, The Ecology School in Saco, Maine. They discuss how this process has fundamentally changed how they practice as architects.
E45 · 4 Feb 2019 · 55 min
Ep45_The Multi-zone Heat Pump Issue with guest Dana Fischer
In cold climates, Multi-zone heat pump systems (or multi-split systems) are developing a reputation for greatly under-performing , in terms of energy efficiency. Don't freak out! Chris and Phil have special guest, Dana Fischer of Mitsubishi, over to share a beverage and get to the bottom of this "problem" and how to properly approach the design of multi-zone heat pumps for your energy efficient house (or building).
E44 · 15 Nov 2018 · 56 min
Ep44-Getting Schooled on Passive House
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 with a LIVE recording at the PassivhausMAINE 2018 Fall Forum at the Mechanics' Hall in Portland Maine. The topic: Passive House Schools! They (and the hyperbollically massive) audience will sip cocktails and discuss the hows, whys, and why-nots of getting our schools to this high level of energy-efficiency.
E42 · 1 Dec 2015 · 51 min
Ep42-Passive House: PHIUS or PHI?
An architect's guide to help you decide which organization should certify your Passive House
E41 · 18 Sep 2015 · 19 min
Ep41-Ventilation for Your Tight House-Guest Sonia Barrantes-Pt2
Our guest, Sonia Barrantes, continues the conversation about the best options for a healthy, comfortable ventilation system
E40 · 16 Sep 2015 · 31 min
Ep40-Ventilation for Your Tight House-Pt1
Now that your house is tight, getting your ventilation system correct is vital
E39 · 8 Oct 2014 · 26 min
Ep39-Don't Be an Air Hole-Pt2
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 7.
E38 · 30 Sep 2014 · 30 min
Ep38-Don't Be an Air Hole-Pt1
Fifteen ‘Top 10’ things that you don’t want to blow on your next project.
E37 · 16 Jul 2014 · 33 min
Ep37-Foundations-Pt2
Do you really need to have a basement? Fine — then we had better talk about the right way to build one.
E36 · 8 Jul 2014 · 32 min
Ep36-Foundations-Pt1
How your house meets the ground, and the many ways to improve your foundation details
E35 · 22 Dec 2013 · 38 min
Ep35-An Update on the Pretty Good House -Pt2
A commonsense approach to designing and building a green home

About Green Architects' Lounge

Green Architects' Lounge is a English arts & books podcast from Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Chris Briley and Phil Kaplan
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 56 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1443439333
Rights: Please don't steal our stuff

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