EP236 Details Matter, but So Does the Big Picture A Conversation with Lisa White of PHIUS (August 2025)

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn welcome Lisa White, Associate Director of PHIUS, to explore the evolving world of passive building. Lisa shares her journey into building science, her role at PHIUS, and how the organization has grown from a niche movement into a force shaping multifamily and affordable housing projects across North America.

She explains the core principles of passive building — thermal, air, and solar/radiation control — and how they translate into healthier, more comfortable, and more resilient spaces. Lisa also discusses PHIUS’s training and certification programs, the importance of third-party verification, and how tools like WUFI Passive and PHPP guide design decisions.

The conversation touches on the challenges of balancing technical rigor with real-world implementation, the role of embodied carbon in standards development, and how passive building benefits not only owners and occupants, but also the broader environment. Lisa closes with reflections on persistence, growth, and optimism for the future of better buildings.

• “The details matter, but it’s the greater goal and intent behind them that truly counts.” — Lisa White

• “Passive building isn’t about eliminating systems; it’s about reducing the dependency on them.” — Lisa White

• Design Around People, A Good Building Follows” — Robert Bean (quoted by Eric Kaiser)

Lisa shared a follow up thought after recording- her advice to younger self is "don't let perfect be the enemy of good -- while it's easy to get caught up in minor details, it's better to start by doing better and improve on that over time than to be held up by trying to be perfect at the onset.”

As well as-- “never pass up an opportunity to educate yourself or to collaborate with others.” She has learned that the best things come out of collaborative and open-minded conversations. 

Lisa’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-white-7770226b/

PHIUS Website: www.PHIUS.org

The High Performance Staircase: https://www.phius.org/sites/default/files/styles/1308xy/public/2024-05/staircase-to-success_v2_apr2024.png.webp?itok=veFnEiyu

This episode was recorded in August 2025.