Two members of the evoDOMUS team recently attended the 3-day Fine Homebuilding Summit in Southbridge, MA. The event was organized by Fine Homebuilding, Green Building Advisor and Keep Craft Alive, all of which are respected experts in the field of high-performance building, which is of course a subject near and dear to our hearts. Michelle Kolbe, our CCO and co-founder, and Rob Shearer, one of our project managers who has a particular interest and expertise in energy-efficiency (he is a HERS rater!) represented the company at the Summit and came back to us energized and even better-equipped to spread the word.
Rob and Michelle found the Summit to be thoughtfully planned and well run, with a range of subject experts speaking on a wide variety of topics over the course of two plus days. Many of the presenters are people whose work we have been following for years, so it was great to put names with faces and be able to ask questions about the latest innovations in their fields. It was also reassuring to determine that we are indeed on the right track with the materials and systems in our houses, since we have put great care into the research and execution of our detailing and specifications.
Rob and Michelle learned about forthcoming changes to building codes, and best practices for the sizing and use of Mini-Split heat pumps. They attended a session called Building Science Puzzles, which used forensic techniques to solve moisture and other issues on projects. Further seminars included one on the Pretty Good House 2.0: Practical Low Carbon, and one called How to Build Well, Simply that was presented by self-proclaimed “Energy Nerd” Martin Holladay. (https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blog/musings)
Furthermore, they were able to talk to and swap ideas with like-minded building professionals from all over the country — the South, the West, and even Alaska. The group was filled with remarkably thoughtful and interesting people who are seriously committed to doing right by the world through the best application of Building Science knowledge. Most of them are building conventionally, so our modular approach was an innovation to be discussed, but otherwise our goals are aligned, and the conversations were productive.
The Summit was also a valuable chance to re-connect with a number of vendors whose products we are already using, and to see and ask questions about their latest innovations. Vendors we visited included (among others):
https://www.rockwool.com/products/
http://www.huberwood.com/zipsystem/home-zip-system
https://www.minotair.com/home_us/
https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/
We plan to blog a bit more in the upcoming weeks about particular topics from the Summit, so stay tuned for those. Potential subjects include:
Building Science Basics for Homeowners
The Path to Net Zero: new advances in the field
All Electric Homes: the responsible path toward sustainability
What is a Rainscreen? And why do I need one?
The Brilliance of Building a “Pretty Good House”
The Summit was highly successful by all accounts, with over 250 participants registered. Fine Homebuilding plans more Summits for the near future based on the attendance at and enthusiasm for this initial gathering. They may look at venues in other areas of the country to allow for more widespread participation, so if high-performance building is of interest to you, keep your eyes peeled for upcoming announcements. Based on our experience there, the evoDOMUS team would enthusiastically recommend the events.
