Image Credit: Canam Building Envelope Specialists Inc.
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The industry loses one of its best-known and most respected building-performance experts
Tony Woods, a building science visionary who pioneered techniques and materials for improving the performance of all types of structures, died on May 8 after a battle with cancer.
A physicist by training, Woods graduated from the University of Hull (England) in 1959. In 1980 he co-founded Canam Building Envelope Specialists Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario, and, more than a decade ago, a Canam division called Zerodraft, which manufactures building envelope improvement materials and application and testing equipment.
Woods’ analytical abilities, depth of knowledge, and drive helped put him at the forefront of the systems approach to building-performance diagnostics and improvement. A tribute released this week by the Building Performance Institute notes that Woods was a mentor to many. His combination of humor and expertise made him a popular presenter at conferences and training programs offered by weatherization organizations and home performance contractors across North America.
Woods made regular appearances at regional and national conferences hosted by the nonprofit educational group Affordable Comfort Inc.. He also was a favorite speaker at events staged by the Energy and Environmental Building Association, Construct Canada, Buildings X, Thermal Solutions, and the National Building Envelope Council of Canada.
Tony Woods’ professional legacy will be a lasting one. As BPI points out, he was past-president of the Ontario Building Envelope Council and executive vice president of the National Energy Conservation Association and the Contractors Warranty Corporation. He also was a member of HRAI Toronto Chapter, the Construction Specification Writers Association and the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors.
On April 28, ACI awarded Woods its Lifetime Achievement Award. The same day, BPI announced the inaugural winner of The Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry, a new initiative that replaces the former BPI Awards, or “Bippies.”
What’s more, a paper written by Woods, “Retrofitting the Building Envelope is the Most Cost-Effective Path to Improved Building Performance,” will be included posthumously in the proceedings of the Fourth International Building Physics Conference, June 15-18, 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Donations may be made in memory of Tony Woods to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Light the Night Walk,” at www.lightthenight.org.
A funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 15 at the Church of St. Bride, 1516 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga, Ontario. Visitation will be held one hour before the service begins, and a reception will follow the funeral.
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One Comment
I remember Tony
I interviewed Tony Woods for a story in the July 2002 issue of Energy Design Update. The topic was attic air sealing. Tony told me a story. "This lady had called three roofers in just two or three years. The first roofer persuaded her to replace the roof. But she still had condensation inside and the ceiling was dripping. The second year, she brought in a second roofer. He said the first roofer hadn't ventilated properly, and he built a second roof over the first roof. But she still had the same problem. Then, when the third roofer came on, I was called back to the house. There were pot lights galore. All the moisture from the master bathroom was headed up through the pot lights and the pocket door. When we said that the problem is not the roof, the lady burst into tears."
When asked to predict the future of home performance work, Tony told me, "Air sealing of existing attics is just a wonderful business. It's a big market, and it is going to go on and on and on."
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