What you’ll find inside
Each edition covers a handful of topics worth your attention. Here’s what to expect:
AI & Automation: How robotics, machine learning, and software tools are reshaping construction and consulting—from physical AI on jobsites to apps that make your workflow faster.
Codes & Standards: Upcoming deadlines, ASHRAE updates, IECC changes, and state-level code developments you need to track.
Academic Research: Recent studies on air tightness, thermal performance, moisture control, and defect detection—summarized so you don’t have to read the whole paper.
Industry Events: Symposiums, conferences, and professional development opportunities worth your time.
Bonus: The Capital Project Playbook
Subscribe to Back of the Envelope and we’ll send you our free guide to getting your building envelope project funded — including a ready-to-use business case template for your next budget meeting.
- The compounding math of deferred maintenance
- Five things your CFO needs to hear
- A one-page business case template
- How to calculate and present ROI
- Three real-world scenarios
Subscribe above and you’ll receive a download link in your welcome email.
Recent editions
№ 4
AI agents for knowledge work, tax credit deadlines, and 2024 IECC momentum
179D and 45L tax credits are expiring soon, several states and NYC adopt the 2024 IECC, and desktop AI agents arrive for professional services.
№ 3
Physical AI in construction, ASTM air tightness symposium, and code deadlines
Automation tools for construction and the office, an upcoming ASTM symposium on air tightness, recent research on envelope performance, and the March deadline for ASHRAE 90.1-2022 state certifications.
№ 2
Office building energy benchmarks, tenant attitudes, and a useful writing tool
JLL’s study on how office building energy consumption has changed post-pandemic, what tenants actually care about when it comes to sustainability, plus a tip on a minimalist web-based text editor.
Why this newsletter exists
There’s a lot happening in AEC right now—new technologies, complex codes, emerging research. It’s hard to keep up.
Back of the Envelope cuts through with concise updates curated by someone who works in the field every day.
Let me know what you think. Just reply to any email with comments or suggestions. Have a question about making buildings work better? Send it my way and I’ll try to answer in an upcoming edition.
—Matt
What readers are saying
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