Christine Williamson, a.k.a. @buildingsciencefightclub on Instagram, is on a mission to help building professionals understand building science ... or just building performance, as it's not all science. Her main focus is educating architects. She is one. But every builder and trade contractor we run into who has delved into her IG posts agrees she's worth a follow and keeps delving into them gladly. Her posts are like articles - concise ones with lots of pictures, making them clear and informative. (On her bio page she has a number of free video-based "nano courses," as well, that are a notch above the average IG reel.) Christine has an uncanny knack for uncovering the principles that govern building performance. Her posts and courses continually demonstrate that once we understand "why," the "how" becomes much easier to figure out for ourselves.
This recent Building Science Fight Club post is a great example. Most of us in cold country know a little about frost heave and getting the footing below frost depth, but maybe we weren't clear on exactly how the ground freezes and where the heat flows. Understanding these concepts better makes it much easier to decipher how to detail a shallow foundation and where to place the insulation.
