Why Does This Conference Exist?

Conventional dialogue for high performance buildings has focused on heating dominated climates with minimal consideration of humid climates with substantial cooling loads.  Thoughtful design and implementation of building science principles is imperative for successful outcomes for owners and occupants in humid climates.  The need for an annual conference dedicated to humid climates is compelling and the time is now. 

Join us in the beautiful Texas capital again in spring 2017 as we carry forward the conversation toward a more sensible and sustainable built environment. 

2016 Featured Speakers

Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng., ASHRAE Fellow

Principal, Building Science Corporation

Joseph Lstiburek is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation.  Dr. Lstiburek’s work ranges widely, from providing expert witness testimony to overseeing research and development projects, to writing for theASHRAE Journal and buildingscience.com.  Dr. Lstiburek’s commitment to advancing the building industry has had a lasting impact on building codes and practices throughout the world, particularly in the areas of air barriers, vapor barriers, and vented and unvented roof assemblies.  For example, his work with industry partners through the Department of Energy’s Building America program led to significant research into the wetting and drying of walls and ultimately to a major code change relaxing the requirement for vapor barriers in the International Residential Code.

Dr. Lstiburek is also an acclaimed educator who has taught thousands of professionals over the past three decades and written countless papers as well as the best-selling Builder Guides.  Fittingly, the Wall Street Journal has described him as "the dean of North American building science."  He has a fondness for single malt scotch and red wine coupled with a joy for telling tall tales to his protégés and audiences.

Dr. Lstiburek holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Building Science.  While still an undergrad, Dr. Lstiburek worked as a residential construction manager; during his Master’s degree, he developed the Air Drywall Approach to air barriers.  Other formative experiences include working on the Canada-wide Super EnergyEfficient Housing R-2000 program and serving as senior engineer on commercial construction projects for Trow in Toronto.  Dr. Lstiburek founded BSC in 1990 with his business partner Betsy Pettit, and he has been a key figure in establishing BSC as one of the most influential, innovative, and respected building science firms in North America.

Katrin Klingenberg

Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS).

PHIUS promotes the adoption of Climate Specific Passive Building principles in North America through consultant training and certification, project certification, and educational efforts for building professionals and the general public. Since 2008, PHIUS has trained over 2,000 designers, builders and energy raters, and certified over 700 CPHC (Certified Passive House Consultants). PHIUS has certified and pre-certified more than 230 passive houses and buildings throughout the United States, Canada and internationally under its project certification program. PHIUS consults on projects in all the North American climate zones as well as on projects abroad.

The Passive House Alliance US (PHAUS), a partner organization, is a chapter-based membership organization that serves the Passive House community through public outreach, networking opportunities, advocacy for policy support and educating professionals and consumers.

In 2003, Ms. Klingenberg designed and built the first home built to meet the Passivhaus standard in the United States and outside of Europe. She has designed and consulted on numerous successful Passive House projects across North America’s varied climate zones. In addition to her executive role she leads the curriculum development for the PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant training. She also directs the technical and research programs of PHIUS, and is a licensed architect in Germany.

Robert Bean

President of Indoor Climate Consultants Inc.

Robert Bean is president of Indoor Climate Consultants Inc. and director of www.healthyheating.com. He is a Registered Engineering Technologist in Building Construction and a Professional Licensee in Mechanical Engineering and provides services related to the design of buildings and indoor environmental quality systems. He serves on numerous advisory boards and technical committees including ASHRAE 6.1, 6.5, 7.4, SSPC 55 and the new ASHRAE Presidential Residential Building Committee.

Dason Whitsett

Principal, cinco labs. Professor, university of texas. 

Dason is a founding principal of Cinco Lab, an architecture and building performance consulting firm based in Austin, TX, along with partner Adam Pyrek. He teaches technical courses in the Sustainable Design Program at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and is a licensed architect, a Certified Passive House Consultant, and a LEED AP. 

In all of his work, Dason strives to bridge the technical and experiential dimensions of building. His upcoming book with co-author Matt Fajkus, Architectural Science and the Sun: Poetics and Pragmatics of Solar Design, will be published by Routledge in late 2016.

Dr. Allison A. Bailes III

PRINCIPAL, Energy vanguard

Allison Bailes writes the Energy Vanguard Blog for the company of the same name, which he founded in 2008. He has also built a high-performance home out of structural insulated panels, run a home performance company, and worked as regional manager for the EarthCraft House green building program. Having earned a PhD in physics from the University of Florida, he has a strong background in the science underlying the growing field of building science. In addition, he is a juggler and a skier as well as having the honor of being perhaps the only man included in Who’s Who of American Women.

2016 Topics

Katrin Klingenberg - The PHIUS+2015 Standard and the humid world

The original Passive House principles were developed for Northern Europe and didn’t transplant perfectly to the broader climate zones in the USA.  But the Passive House movement has stepped up to the challenges presented by our different climate zones.  In 2015, Passive House Institute United States released a new, climate zone appropriate, building standard.  Thoughtfully researched and developed, Katrin Klingenberg will discuss how the standard is poised to change the way Passive House is perceived in humid climates. 

Robert Bean - The humid building and the uncomfortable human

Modern expectations of efficiency and comfort are often misunderstood and misaligned with reality, resulting in wasted energy and uncomfortable spaces. Robert Bean will explain how a greater understanding of human comfort can lead to more effective methods of heating, cooling and dehumidifying for thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality.

Dason  Whitsett- Effective daylighting strategies, energy efficiency and glazing placement for warm climates

Proper shading is a critical component of energy-efficient buildings in humid climates, yet many contemporary buildings ignore this important strategy. This presentation will present principals and modeling of different shading strategies and quantify energy savings utilizing the energy simulation software EnergyPlus.

Joe Lstiburek -The high performance building and the humid climate

For humid climate builders, guidelines and data addressing their specific climate needs is often hard to find or non-existent. Joe Lstiburek will outline best practice and building assembly for humid climate homes to help us understand the  'whats, whys and hows' of building in humid climates.