Building Community in High-Performance Construction with Ben Bogie
from Build It Forward Hosted by Nick Falkoff and PRMEABL_
In this first episode of Build It Forward, Nick Falkoff, General Manager of Auburndale Builders, sits down with Ben Bogie, Director of Building Science at Building Performance Cooperative, and Amy Lieb, Executive Director of the Studio for High Performance Design and Construction, to talk about why community plays such a critical role in advancing high-performance building. Rather than focusing on a single product or system, this conversation zooms out to look at how builders, designers, educators, and tradespeople actually learn, grow, and improve over time. From local meetups and trade school partnerships to national networks like BS*+beer, the group explores how shared knowledge, hands-on learning, and personal relationships help people navigate an increasingly complex building industry. The discussion also touches on workforce development, the gap between online information and real-world experience, and why creating welcoming, in-person spaces matters just as much as technical expertise. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:00 – Inside the Studio HPDC High-Performance Barn 03:00 – Why Community Matters in High-Performance Building 05:00 – Making Building Science Approachable 08:30 – Learning Through Hands-On Experience 11:00 – The Origins of BS*+beer 14:30 – Scaling Community Without Losing What Works 18:00 – Workforce Development and Trade Schools 22:00 – Teaching Core Concepts Without Overwhelm 27:00 – Where High-Performance Communities Go Next 33:30 – Monitoring, data, and making the invisible visible 38:00 – Closing thoughts This episode was filmed at Studio HPDC's 200-year-old Passive House teaching barn in Newton, MA. www.studiohpdc.org Connect with: Ben Bogie, Building Performance Cooperative IG: @benbogie https://www.bpcgreenbuilders.com Amy Lieb, Studio HPDC IG: @studiohpdc www.studiohpdc.org Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build: [email protected] Music: "Welcome to the Johnsons" from the album Bird Mode by E*Lightning aka Jon Erickson, CPHB, CPHC, CPHV elightning.bandcamp.com Made with PRMEABL_
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Chapters
- 0:00 – Introduction
- 1:00 – Inside the Studio HPDC High-Performance Barn
- 3:00 – Why Community Matters in High-Performance Building
- 5:00 – Making Building Science Approachable
- 8:30 – Learning Through Hands-On Experience
- 11:00 – The Origins of BS*+beer
- 14:30 – Scaling Community Without Losing What Works
- 18:00 – Workforce Development and Trade Schools
- 22:00 – Teaching Core Concepts Without Overwhelm
- 27:00 – Where High-Performance Communities Go Next
- 33:30 – Monitoring, data, and making the invisible visible
- 38:00 – Closing thoughts
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