Positive Energy
Design Around People. A Good Building Follows.

Education/Advocacy

Positive Energy’s Education & Advocacy Efforts 

Strategic Market Influence

Positive Energy is a highly specialized Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) engineering firm, distinguished by our profound commitment to creating high-performance outcomes in high-end residential architecture. The firm's fundamental objective centers on harnessing a deep knowledge of building science and human-centered design/engineering principles to create spaces that are not merely functional but are inherently healthy, comfortable, and resilient, elevating the overall lived experience of architecture. This specialized market focus allows us to consistently apply and refine advanced building science and human-centered design/engineering methodologies, which are often complex and require integrated approaches than those typically found in broader market segments. Operating in this niche is a strategic approach, enabling us to pioneer and showcase the tangible benefits of advanced sustainable design in a highly visible sector. The intention is to influence broader industry adoption by showcasing what’s possible.

Positive Energy’s broader contributions to the AEC industry are extensive and multi-faceted. Not only do we feature a portfolio of award-winning project collaborations that consistently push the boundaries of sustainable design, we are also deeply engaged in the industry through participation in leading conferences, where our firm leaders often present keynotes and sit on expert panel discussions. We dedicate substantial effort to education and advocacy, championing Passive House (Phius) and net-zero energy building principles through various publications and our audio show, "The Building Science Podcast". This powerful combination of deep scientific understanding, practical building experience, and active industry engagement positions us well to strive to be thought leaders, driving innovation and advocating for systemic change in the built environment.

Notable Conference Presentations & Seminars

Positive Energy has been strategically presenting on a range of topics for information-hungry audiences all over North America since 2012. We have long held the ethos that articulating ideas and showing examples from our day-to-day work helps us educate others on first-principles-thinking that is so badly needed in the AEC industry. Architecture firms and builders have become exhausted by product manufacturers lunch-and-learn formats because they are product-centric and don’t connect the dots to a more holistic understanding of how buildings work. Expanding the lens to include adjacent disciplines across the scientific field, reminding folks of building science basics, and showing real world case studies is a powerful antidote.

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University Guest Lectures

It is imperative for architecture and engineering schools to engage with building science and engineering practitioners to help bridge the gap between theoretical/academic design and practical, real-world high-performance design and construction. We have been engaged with various academic institutions since 2012, offering a range of lecture topics to support undergraduate and graduate students break through pedagogical bottlenecks.

Notable Industry Publications

Positive Energy personnel are prolific contributors to various publications, both through our internal blog and external industry journals, endeavoring to provide thought leadership in building science and MEP engineering. 

Notable External Media Appearances

We live in a time where media reach is more fractured and potent than ever before. Positive Energy has endeavored to stay plugged into both traditional print media, as well as various social media channels to support education on first principles thinking that is so badly needed in the AEC industry.

Publicly Offered Resources

The Building Science Podcast

"The Building Science Podcast," hosted by Kristof Irwin and co-created and produced by M. Walker, has served as a consistent and influential educational platform since its inception in 2015. The podcast's stated mission is to "move the AEC forward through an understanding of building science and human factors in architecture, engineering and construction."

The Positive Energy Blog

Positive Energy is not just a residential MEP engineering company. We are a group of people deeply interested in and passionate about a wide range of topics. We are life-long learners and find it fulfilling to research and explore many adjacent fields to inform the work we do day-to-day. Read more about a range of building science, MEP engineering, architecture, and more topics on our company blog.

Community Building Efforts

The Building Science Philosophical Society

The Building Science Philosophical Society is an informal society of architecture, construction, and engineering nerds in the Austin, TX area who meet once a month to talk and have a few beers together. Positive Energy founded this society because we believe good scientists ask meaningful questions. We also believe that truly integrated solutions to the world’s problems come from building community. We don’t offer CEUs or stick to overly formal programming because we believe real learning happens when people can relax and be themselves in conversation.

Volunteer Positions/Committees