Not too long ago I found myself in a deep conversation (pun intended) about frost-protected slabs with some other architects and building professionals. I was surprised at the energy surrounding the topic. We all seemed to have developed substantial differences in the details on our own and we were all learning from each other.

I was equally surprised at how fresh this concept seemed — I mean, haven’t we been founding our wood structures on the ground for centuries now? Millennia, even?

The diversity of approaches has to do with our culture’s new desire to create ultra-energy-efficient houses. I walked away thinking that we should do a podcast on the subject, but then I thought about how much drawing we all did, and wondered if an audio podcast was a good forum for this topic.

Luckily, with the courage supplied by a good cocktail and the “challenge accepted” attitude and encouragement from Phil, we decided we’d make a go of it. We decided we’d cover the concepts in audio form and provide some details from our own work here on GBA.--Chris