Maximizing the lifecycle performance of a building envelope is a balance of lowering the embodied energy of production, installation, and deconstruction while maximizing operational performance. I started my career focusing on low-embodied energy materials and systems. This realm is often called “natural building”, a marketing term that I have never understood. These methodologies generally have a long history connected to a specific climate and culture and as such have much to teach us about efficient resource use.

It is interesting to me that most indigenous building systems share a similar approach to water. Generally the approach is to redirect most of the liquid water away from the building while allowing the wall volume to be hygroscopic, meaning that it can take on and give off water vapor in response to humidity changes. In contrast to the typical industrial approach which is to attempt to lock water out with “super materials” such as impermeable sheet materials and joint sealants, hygroscopic systems are more forgiving since they have limited potential for trapping water in the building volume. This can lead to a more durable product with many traditional buildings lasting hundreds and even thousands of years. However, in my experience it is difficult to adapt these systems to our contemporary context for a number of reasons including scalability, quality control, performance quantification, and the expense of what essentially are custom-made materials in an economy driven by mass production.

As a result, I am interested in the R&D of materials for applications in industrial systems that maintain the climate specific performance gestalt of their indigenous forebears. For an example of a project in which I was involved that marries state of the art contemporary building science with a mass produced hygroscopic wall system go here.