Building Science Seminars: Advancing Better Buildings Together

For over two decades, Walsh’s in-house Quality department has hosted Building Science Seminars, which bring together designers, builders, owners, operators, and funders with one shared goal: advancing durability and performance of multi-family and affordable housing through collaboration and applied building science.

The intent is simple: to “lift the tide” across the industry. At their core, these seminars gather industry voices to address real-world challenges, from moisture management and airflow to enclosure durability and long-term performance, creating space to share lessons learned, exchange ideas, and offer practical, field-tested solutions. By sharing knowledge and experience, the seminars help move everyone toward more durable, energy-efficient buildings that are affordable to operate, and healthy to live in.

How It Started

Beginning in 2002 as a small workshop in Portland, Oregon, the original goal was to bring professionals together to discuss building enclosure challenges related to interior moisture and airflow concerns. Conceived by Mike Steffen, Walsh’s Quality Director at the time and current Preconstruction Advisor, the essence of the seminars was captured as a way “to move towards more certainty—or assurance—in our approach to building envelope.”

From those early conversations, the seminars, now welcome hundreds of participants across Washington and Oregon and focus on all aspects of building science. Though substantially larger, they remain a community-driven platform for sharing ideas.

A Community-Led Effort

Each seminar is planned for one day in Seattle and one day in Portland. The program features industry leaders from design, ownership, and construction, locally and internationally, including experts from across North America. Speakers range from building science specialists to installers and field professionals, ensuring discussions balance technical knowledge with practical experience.

The most recent seminars were structured around focused sessions that blended case study, technical education, and collaborative panel discussion.

Both days opened with a project deep dive into Lessons Learned at Mercy Greenbrae, a Phius-certified affordable housing community. The session explored delivering high-performance enclosure systems, coordinating mechanical strategies, achieving airtightness targets, and meeting rigorous performance testing standards, all while maintaining cost control and affordability.

Energy code evolution was another key focus. Dedicated sessions examined updates to the Washington State and Oregon energy codes, including higher-performing enclosure requirements and thermal bridging calculations. Rather than simply outlining compliance paths, discussions centered on how teams can proactively integrate these requirements into early design decisions to improve long-term durability and operational performance.

The afternoon shifted toward systems integration and collaboration. A session on building form and enclosure design explored how massing, articulation, glazing ratios, and roof complexity influence both energy efficiency and long-term resilience in affordable housing.

These sessions were complemented by panel discussions on coordination in design and construction, where architects, engineers, and Walsh Senior Project Managers discussed moving beyond disconnected workflows toward truly integrated processes that align performance goals, constructability, and budget from the outset.

By combining technical depth with real project experience and open dialogue, the seminars reinforced their original purpose: building collective certainty in how we design and construct durable, high-performing affordable housing across the Pacific Northwest.

Leadership of the seminars has evolved over time, transitioning from past quality directors, Mike Steffen, then Martin Houston, and now to Sharon Libby Eyerly, Walsh’s current Quality Director, continuing a tradition of program leadership. Before joining the Quality team in 2013, Sharon had been attending the seminars since 2008, alongside many long-time Walsh collaborators from the community, furthering her understanding of the event

Looking Ahead

Today, the Building Science Seminars remain focused on the original mission of collaboration by bringing together experts across the Pacific Northwest to share best practices, spark discussion, and push building performance forward.  

More than a conference, the seminars represent a collective investment in better buildings, supporting healthier indoor environments, lower utility costs, and longer-lasting homes for our communities. Through shared experience and technical expertise, Walsh and our partners continue working toward solutions that benefit both individual projects and the broader housing landscape.

Stay tuned for our next Building Science Seminar!