Archives: Events

Greg Bossie Designer and President of Rare Forms Design/Build  Presentation Title:  Locally Grown Homes: Buildings As a Climate Solution Description:  Mr. Bossie is an experienced craftsman and business owner. Throughout this presentation he will illustrate how locally sourced and biogenic building materials are transforming the construction industry into a driver of climate solutions. This lecture explores the potential of straw insulated structural panels (S-SIPs) and other biogenic building materials to reduce carbon emissions, promote housing equity, and support local economies. The audience will also have an opportunity to examine how biogenic building materials contribute to creating high-performance, healthy, and affordable homes, while addressing global environmental challenges.  Zoom link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96150143518  ...

Peter Yost  Sole proprietor of Building-Wright  Presentation Title:  Manage Energy & Moisture with Equal Intensity Description:  Mr. Yost has been building, remodeling, assessing, and testing buildings for their energy and moisture performance for over forty years. His presentation will address the demands that occupants of our buildings and building professionals place on the structures we create. Two of those specific demands are moisture and energy. Mr. Yost will address the physics of those two specific demands and explain how they are inextricably linked. This presentation will illustrate how energy and moisture considerations should drive the efforts to design, build, and renovate healthy, durable, and fully functional working and living spaces. Zoom link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/91309523224...

Dan Kolbert General Contractor, co-author of The Pretty Good House Presentation Title: The Pretty Good House: Simplifying High Performance Homes Description: Mr. Kolbert has worked in the trades for nearly forty years and has owned his construction company for more than twenty years. His discussion will cover the essential elements of building comfortable, high-performing, durable, and healthy homes. He will also address many of the building science principles that he has seen ignored over his decades of experience and provide the audience with ways to avoid making some of those building missteps.   Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/97697295991...

Patrick McCombe  Senior Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine Presentation Title: Residential Construction: It’s Not Like Other Jobs Description:  Having been an author for over 17 years in the field of residential construction, Mr. McCombe will use this presentation to talk about the challenges and joys of working in the residential construction business. This enlightening talk will discuss the many facets of residential construction and give anecdotes based on the decades Mr. McCombe has been doing this work - aptly highlighting the dozens of ways residential builders can be inspired or hindered by its many challenges. Zoom link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/97445798573...