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Positive Energy

@bldgscienceatx

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Human-centered MEP engineering & building science for custom homes. Healthy, comfortable, resilient spaces that elevate everyday life.

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The best architecture doesn't impose itself on a site—it honors the land and designs within its rhythm.⁠
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Gold Collective member @bldgscienceatx has received a 2026 @aiaaustin Design Merit Award for Deer Creek Residence, recognized by a distinguished jury for a project that does exactly that. Set among long limestone shelves that trace the natural contours of the land, the home draws out the quiet poetry of its wooded site and dissolves the boundary between inside and out. The landscape remains as undisturbed as possible, with bespoke hydrology that allows water to flow through the site naturally. ⁠
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"The Deer Creek Residence spurred a really great conversation. It had a subtle idea about how it navigated the landscape in these minor drops, so there was a spatial sequencing that brought you closer to the bottom of the hill, but it did so in a way that brought you these beautiful lateral views between those spaces as well," remarks juror Julie Snow, FAIA. ⁠
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The project reflects Positive Energy's broader philosophy that high-performance design doesn't just respond to how a building functions, but elevates the wellbeing of those living within it. The best homes aren't just thoughtfully designed, but intentionally resilient for both people and place. ⁠
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Visit our link in bio to learn more about @bldgscienceatx.⁠
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Gold Collective highlights leading voices in architecture and design through editorial features and conversations that explore the emotional and experiential impact of the built environment.⁠
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#goldcollective #designthinking #architecture #interiordesign #placemaking

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Translation:

This is a sticker about heat pumps. Specifically, heat pumps with R-290 refrigerant, which is propane. A monoblock is a heat pump that is an 'all in one' machine that sits outside of the house and creates warmth or 'coolth' without running refrigerant into the building. With these heat pumps, that energy is typically brought into the house with water, so they are called 'Air to Water' heat pumps.

COP refers to 'Coefficient of Performance' which is a way to measure efficiency. These units have 'high' efficiency, which is good. GWP means 'Global Warming Potential' which in this case is low, as propane has only 3x the impact of CO2. Many current refrigerants are 600x or 2000x (depending on the age of your system).

The fire icon is because this is awesome. The wings are because if these units were beings, they would be angels.

'Certified' means that I put this sticker on something I own. Now, I'm certified. 'Enthusiast' means that I find things like this to be super compelling. It also makes me a total nerd.

These systems have been in use around the world for years. They aren't allowed in the U.S. There is no good reason for this. Hopefully, this sticker will help change minds so we can have a healthier environment.

Thanks to Hap and the gang @bldgscienceatx for creating these incredibly arcane stickers and passing them out last week at Summer Camp!

#nerd #refrigerant #sustainability #building #construction #engineering #architecture

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My daughter moved into a rental house for college and one of the rooms had this portable AC to supplement the hvac system. I was curious about the output of cooling so I asked Claude AI to see what it would say… have you heard of this SACC measurement? Will residential outdoor units be measured this way soon too? Side note: I grew up in Pittsburgh PA on the 80’s and most homes in my neighborhood had only window units not central AC. I had a box fan in my window to cool me off. My parents eventually got central AC installed in the 90’s when I left the house. Funny how our ability to put up with discomfort has shrunk. (Mine too!)

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This is rad.

The @meetquilt indoor heads are officially linked to our jobsite wifi. I'm literally at home watching @thisoldhouse and I can see and control operations from afar.

You can also see how much electricity was used post connection.

There are myriad mini split companies out there, but the software here is like nothing I've experienced.

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One detail. Two big wins.

This intentional dropped ceiling allows for a tighter truss layout to support the weight of the green roof above while creating an unobstructed path for the ductwork below. It’s a cleaner, more efficient solution for both the structural and mechanical systems.

That’s what happens when architects, engineers, and builders collaborate from the very beginning.

High-performance homes are designed, not discovered.

@studiorickjoy @bldgscienceatx

#highperformancehomes #construction #greenroof #hvac

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Some homes invite you indoors. This one draws you out.

Perched on an East Texas hilltop overlooking a quiet lake and framed by dense pine forest, the Aegean Pool House was designed as a weekend escape from city life.

A place where the landscape becomes the living room, the primary gathering spaces, the kitchen and dining area. A freestanding stone fireplace anchors the gathering area, and the dining table doubles as a ping pong table when the mood shifts. An 80-foot pool and spa trace the north edge as the site slopes toward the water, with a built-in fire pit and sunken lounge waiting nearby.

Architecture: @lakeflato
Interior Designer: @wendykonradidesign
Landscape Architect: @hockerdesign
General Contractor: Don Romer Construction
MEP Engineer: @bldgscienceatx
Structural Engineer: Scott Williamson, P.E.
Photography: @caseycdunn

LF Team: Ted Flato, Vicki Yuan, and Justin Ford.

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All Metal Ducting using @airzone_control Dampers with @mitsubishihvac Air Handler equipment for future beautiful home designed by @studiorickjoy and being built by @risingerbuild_atx mechanical design by @bldgscienceatx Your Duct System are the ‘Lungs’ of your Home so ‘Living Green; Breathe Clean, starts with Metal 😎😃🏆

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There are real benefits to working with the same companies over and over again. We've got about a quarter of a century of history with our mechanical contractor.

Invest in the relationships. It'll give you outsized returns.

No hvac pun intended.

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What do your weekends look like?

#slowdowntime #coffeetıme #groundingtechnique #breathwork #mindfulness

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The Humid Climate Conference wrapped in early May, and our team is still carrying the energy from it.

The weekend brought together architects, builders, and building science folks from across the region, all asking the same question, how do we build high-performance, durable homes in a climate like ours?

Our team was proud to help organize the event, and hosting the planning meetings at our office gave us a front-row seat to the work that goes into bringing a conference like this to life.

We were also glad to feature Duval Passive on the conference tour and to present the project to attendees. Duval Passive is a Phius design certified project in Austin.

Big thanks to our builder @formtofinish, @humidclimateconference , and to everyone who made the weekend what it was.

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This is the oldest looking minisplit that I've ever seen.

It's @mitsubishihvac Mr. Slim with hardwired controller.

I say oldest looking because I'm not quite willing to lift the cover to get the model at this coffee shop.

The house were staying at was likely built in the 80's and it too has been retrofit with 3 minisplits. At least.

No one in this shop has paid attention to this unit except me this morning.

And I bet no one on vacation cares that there are wall mounted units in their dwellings.

They have heating. They have cooling.

Sometimes it's nice to get out of the echo chamber and remember that we are not the majority of the population. Real world outcomes should be high priority.

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Start of a multiple zone all metal rough in @classicconstructors General Contractor designed by @bldgscienceatx, ducting is being ran prior to ceilings being lowered and the walls furred out, as you can see the round duct is made square then risen and made round to accommodate the widening of the walls #Live Green, Breathe Clean

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