Overview
Length: Each webinar is 1 hour + 30 minutes of optional Q&A
As climate pressures, rising housing costs, and changing building practices reshape the residential landscape, building professionals are being asked to deliver homes that are safer, healthier, more durable, and more attainable than ever before. Featuring field-tested lessons, case studies, and insights from industry experts, this three-part series will equip building professionals with actionable approaches that support long-term performance, occupant health, and community resilience.
Wildfire Prepared: Making Homes and Communities More Survivable and Insurable
As wildfires continue to impact communities across the country, understanding how homes ignite and what can be done to reduce risk has become increasingly important across the built environment. This webinar will provide an overview of wildfire behavior, structure survivability, and the growing role of science-based mitigation in improving resilience and supporting long-term insurability in wildfire-prone regions.
Participants will hear how the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) uses full-scale wildfire experiments at the IBHS Research Center, along with post-fire field investigations following major wildfire events, to better understand the factors that contribute to structure loss. The session will also introduce the Wildfire Prepared program and explore how research-driven mitigation strategies, construction practices, and material choices can help reduce vulnerabilities from embers, flames, and radiant heat while supporting more resilient and insurable homes and communities.
Affordable by Design: Practical Lessons for Cost-Effective & Durable Homes
As housing costs continue to rise across the Northwest, builders, designers, and developers are looking for practical ways to deliver homes that are affordable, durable, and sustainable without relying on overly complex methods. This webinar will explore how thoughtful design and readily available solutions can support housing that is a joy to live in, affordable to operate, and built to last. Along the way, the session will highlight desirable choices that help manage costs while supporting more livable communities.
Participants will hear from Eli Spevak of Orange Splot through a series of Portland-area case studies showing how his building practices have evolved over time. Eli will highlight lessons from small-scale infill and attached housing projects, including the use of zoning hacks, all-electric systems, solar PV, ventilation, advanced framing, durable finishes, and using the existing site features as design assets rather than obstacles to construction. The session will focus on real-world decisions that help make high-performance, sustainable homes more practical and attainable to build.
Ventilation for Every Season: Healthy, Efficient Homes in a Changing Climate
As homes become tighter through improved building practices, code requirements, and retrofit upgrades, ventilation plays an increasingly important role in supporting comfort, durability, indoor air quality, and long-term performance. At the same time, more frequent wildfire smoke events are changing how builders, HVAC contractors, and raters think about ventilation because homeowners need systems they can understand, use, and adjust to changing outdoor conditions.
This webinar will bring together HVAC design, installation, and commissioning perspectives to explore real-world indoor air quality challenges. Through practical examples and field-based case studies, presenters will discuss how system design, filtration, and controls can help meet code requirements, manage wildfire smoke, and ensure homeowners understand and use their whole-house ventilation systems.Date & Time
Wildfire Prepared: Making Homes and Communities More Survivable and Insurable - July 16 from 8:30 - 9:30AM
Affordable by Design: Practical Lessons for Cost-Effective & Durable Homes - July 30 from 8:30 - 9:30AM
Ventilation for Every Season: Healthy, Efficient Homes in a Changing Climate - August 13 from 8:30 - 9:30AM
Recommended Audience
Architects / Builders / Contractors / Code Officials / Engineers / Raters / Verifiers / Electric / HVAC / Utilities / Program Implementation Staff
Type: New Construction & Home Retrofit
Level: Skilled
For participants with some experience or prior exposure to this topic. Ideal for professionals looking to deepen applied knowledge and build on their current practices.
Continuing Education
AIA LU/HSW: 1 CE per webinar (pending)
OR CCB: 1 CE per webinar (pending)
BPI: 1 CE per webinar (pending)
ICC: 0.1 CE per webinar (pending)
NATE: 1 CE per webinar (pending)
Trainers
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Steve Hawks | Institute for Business & Home Safety | View Bio
Wildfire Prepared: Making Homes and Communities More Survivable and Insurable
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Eli Spevak | Orange Splot LLC | View Bio
Affordable by Design: Practical Lessons for Cost-Effective & Durable Homes
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Matt Douglas | Earth Advantage | View Bio
Ventilation for Every Season: Healthy, Efficient Homes in a Changing Climate
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This training made possible at no cost thanks in part to BetterBuiltNW
