If you do a search using the name John Straube on the GreenBuildingAdvisor website, you’ll notice that the search tool pulls at least 138 entries from the database. That’s one measure of Straube’s stature as a trusted voice in the building industry, particularly in the green building industry.

One of five principals at Building Science Corporation and an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Straube doesn’t seem to have an “off” button when it comes to analyzing and articulating what it takes to design and construct buildings that not only perform well upon completion but that also require minimal maintenance.

“Exemplary work”

It seems fitting, then, that Straube, co-author of the 2005 book Building Science for Building Enclosures, was honored this month at the International Builders’ Show, in Orlando, Florida, with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC).

Cornell Professor and NCHRC Chairman Joseph Laquatra presented the award as part of the Energy Value in Housing Awards event at IBS.

“John has been deeply involved in the areas of building enclosure design, moisture physics, and whole building performance as a researcher, educator, and consultant,” Laquatra said, adding that Straube’s “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.”