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1st Annual Colorado Building Symposium West
September 4th and 5th 2025
Glenwood Springs Branch Library / CO Mtn College
815 Cooper Ave, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
ICC / AIA / PHIUS - CEU's provided
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Why an Annual Residential Building Science Symposium
Building off of the wildly successful Building Science Symposium, produced by BS and Beer KC, that occurred in Denver in 2023, BUILDTank and BS and Beer Denver Metro are striving to create an annual residential building science driven symposium for Colorado Builders, Architects, and Trades People.
Our first annual Symposium, Held in Denver in January of 2025 featured builders and building science experts, all based in Colorado, speaking to Colorado specific issues.
We were asked to bring the Symposium to the mountains and western slope, and we have. Same great content with hand picked speakers who can represent the unique issues of mountain and western slope building.
A single track symposium offers the additional opportunity for robust conversation and debate at breaks and receptions, as everyone has heard the same presentations.
Continuing Education Credit Sponsors
COLORADO BUILDING SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM DAY ONE September 4TH
SESSION 1 Building Science and the IECC/IRC
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Robby Schwarz
The IECC and the IRC are synergistic codes within a family of codes that are meant to work together to create a house that is sound and efficient. Codes do this by developing requirements that incorporate the building science needed to meet the objectives of the code. Durability, efficiency, health and safety, resiliency, etc. This session will help us understand the building science “why” behind the code requirements we must build to.
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Ryan Cowan
We must manage bulk water flow in your homes because water pure and simply destroys homes. Yes, we don’t always do it well and we don’t always use the best techniques and systems in Colorado because we think we live in a dry climate. Vented assemblies, capillary breaks, WRBs, Flashing, Adhesives; basically, all things water management for above and below grade construction will be discussed.
Session 3 All thing Windows
Session 2 All things Bulk Water Management
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Mark McClain
Windows are simply the weakest link of the building thermal envelope. We must understand their impact on whole wall R-value, infiltration, visible light, solar gain, etc. Therefore, developing design parameters around window use in the design and construction of homes allows us to analyze the placement, size, architectural use, efficiency, and more of every opening put into the building thermal envelope. From window to wall ratio, to indoor outdoor connection, and natural lighting, it all matters.
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Matt Wright
Whole House Controlled Mechanical Ventilation is not only required by building codes but also by the building science. Ventilation is difficult to understand. We have makeup air, combustion air, ventilation air, infiltration, exfiltration, and more to understand. The code allows for one of three Whole House Controlled Mechanical Ventilation strategies to be used. Why is one better than the other? Let’s find out.
Session 5 A Utility's Perspective
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Session 5 A Utility's Perspective
Kyle Lord
The electrification of housing is happening, and the utility companies are behind it. Yet there are many questions about grid capacity, integrity, and resiliency as we transition to all electric homes. Why is a utility like TriState supporting the electrification of homes? It is more than just being able to sell more energy, and we will learn what the rational is.
Session 6 Building For Wildfire Resiliency
Session 4 The Three Ventilation Strategies
Session 5 A Utility's Perspective
Tom Meyers
Building Intuition Code Consultant
Many jurisdictions have adopted wildland urban interface (WUI) codes. After the Marshall Fire, fire resilient building practices are moving down to the foothills and mountains to the planes. There is also an interesting link between high performance energy efficient homes and fire resilient homes. What does it take to go the next step to increase the resiliency of your projects?
COLORADO BUILDING SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM DAY TWO September 5TH
Session 1 Framing for Energy and Vapor
Session 2 Building in Mountain Climate Zones
Robby Schwarz
Water Vapor moves around and through our building with air and by the process of diffusion. The IRC and IECC are both addressing water vapor management and the potential for the vapor to become a liquid when condensation occurs. Understanding the science helps us understand the framing requirements which this session will explain.
Session 2 Building in Mountain Climate Zones
Session 2 Building in Mountain Climate Zones
Greg Follet
Building in mountain climate zones 6 and 7 has its unique challenges. Explore the key principles for building high-performance homes that balance energy efficiency, sustainability, and comfort in Colorado’s toughest climate zones
Session 3 Programmatic Building & Incentives
Matt Wright
Building programs like EnergyStar, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, and Passive house are examples of systematic, energy modeling, and checklist driven ways to set a performance goal for a house or project and outlining a successful approach for achieving the goal. In addition, achieving building program certification is often tied to builder incentive payments that can help offset the learning curve if there is one. The reality is that most builders are not misaligned with what programs are asking for so why not get better performance and profitability.
Session 4 What’s with the IECC in Colorado
Session 4 What’s with the IECC in Colorado
Adam Berry
The Colorado Energy Office is leading a legislative initiative through the newly created Colorado Energy Code Board to review the 2021 and 2024 International Energy Conservation Codes and create Colorado’s newest statewide code. This could be significant depending on how it is implemented in our home rule state.
Session 5 High Performance Building Contracts
Session 4 What’s with the IECC in Colorado
Session 5 High Performance Building Contracts
Danielle Maya
What do we need to know when creating legal contracts with our clients to build their dream home? Performance contracts are becoming more popular because they help to better define the goal and outcome for the project. To achieve the goal, it is also becoming more important to have clearer scope of work and legal contracts with subcontractors. Unfortunately, the days of the hand shake contract are over.
Session 6 HVAC Design & Moving to Heat Pumps
Session 4 What’s with the IECC in Colorado
Session 5 High Performance Building Contracts
Shawn LeMons
We know that if the building thermal envelope does not work that the HVAC system will not work. We know that our HVAC design needs to better reflect the building thermal envelope. Now we are seeing the true impact of the intersection of bad envelopes and poor design. This session will not only inform us about HVAC design in the age of heat pumps, remind us about the fundamentals that have not changed, but will introduce us to commissioning of our systems that we should have been doing all along.
Reception Sponsor
Lunch Sponsors
Exhibit Hall Sponsor
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