Speakers -- Presenters -- Facilitators

Keynote Speaker John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng.

John Straube is a specialist building science engineer who has been deeply involved in the areas of building enclosure design, moisture physics, and whole building performance as a consultant, researcher, and educator.

Energy-efficient, healthy, durable and sustainable building designs are a general goal of his research which is often supported by advanced computer simulation, laboratory testing and full-scale natural exposure performance monitoring.

Considered an international expert in moisture-related building problems, his building science expertise has been applied to moldy roofs, failed masonry, leaky EIFS cladding, insulating Mongolian yurts, wet basements, rotting crawlspaces and attics, historically sensitive retrofits, and litigation support for buildings as diverse as commercial office towers, manufactured housing, and sustainable strawbale homes.

Although John has been tossing strawbales around since he was a boy, he has been interested in straw buildings for more than 15 years, conducting field measurements and computer models, as well as assisted in the design of SB buildings. Building science applies to all buildings, but it is especially important in natural materials and its application to straw results in slightly different results than the normal bricks and sticks construction.

This just in!

Press Release February 13, 2012 from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC)

"John Straube, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC).

Straube received the award as part of the Energy Value in Housing Awards event at the International Builders Show in Orlando on February 8, 2012. Cornell Professor Joseph Laquatra, NCHRC Chair, said of Straube when he presented him with the award, "John has been deeply involved in the areas of building enclosure design, moisture physics, and whole building performance as a researcher, educator, and consultant. Dr. Straube is co-author of the 2005 book, Building Science for Building Enclosures. His work in teaching building science is exemplary and is preparing a generation of engineers to produce buildings that are energy efficient, healthy, comfortable, and durable."

The Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education is a joint effort between the NCHRC and the U.S. Department of Energy to advance the state of building science curricula across the United States and Canada."

Well done and well deserved, John!

Featured Speaker Bernard Amadei

Dr. Amadei is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He received his PhD in 1982 from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Amadei is the Director of the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities at CU Boulder and holds the Mortenson Endowed Chair in Global Engineering. He is also the Founding President of Engineers Without Borders - USA and the co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International network. Among other distinctions, Dr. Amadei is a 2007 co-recipient of the Heinz Award for the Environment, the recipient of the 2008 ENR Award of Excellence, and an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.

Prof. Amadei’s current interests cover the topics of sustainability and international development. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, Prof. Amadei directs the Mortenson Center in in Engineering for Developing Communities (www.edc-cu.org). Its overall mission is to educate globally responsible engineering students and professionals who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to the endemic problems faced by developing communities worldwide.

Want some inspiration to sign up for the conference immediately? Watch Bernard Amadei's TED talk:

 

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