Andy's twenty seven year tradition of bringing world class building science education to Florida continues in 2025. The Andrew Ask Building Science Symposium features renowned speakers and engaging topics. AABSS-2025 brings leading construction industry knowledge presented by todays most relevant experts and influencers that you won’t see or hear anywhere else.
"That was our mission in 1998 when we started this and that’s what you can expect at AABSS-2025"
Joseph Lstiburek is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation. Dr. Lstiburek’s work ranges widely, from providing expert witness testimony to overseeing research and development projects, to writing for the ASHRAE Journal and buildingscience.com. Dr. Lstiburek’s commitment to advancing the building industry has had a lasting impact on building codes and practices throughout the world, particularly in the areas of air barriers, vapor barriers, and vented and unvented roof assemblies.
Dr. Lstiburek is also an acclaimed educator who has taught thousands of professionals over the past three decades and written countless papers as well as the best-selling Builder Guides. Fittingly, the Wall Street Journal has described him as "the dean of North American building science." He has a joy for telling tall tales to his protégés and audiences.
Dr. Lstiburek holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)in Building Science. While still an undergrad, Dr. Lstiburek worked as a residential construction manager; during his Master’s degree, he developed the Air Drywall Approach to air barriers.
Dr. Lstiburek with his business partner Betsy Pettit, established one of the most influential, innovative, and respected building science authorities in North America.
John Straube is an Associate Professor joint-appointed to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo. He researches and teaches building science, building materials, and engineering design with a focus on high-performance low-energy sustainable buildings. A registered professional engineer he is also a Principal at RDH Building Science Inc., where he leads forensic investigations, hygrothermal measurement and analysis research projects, and design projects in the areas of low energy building design, highly durable building enclosures, new building materials and systems, and extreme climate buildingsProfessor Straube authored “High Performance Enclosures” and co-authored “Building Science for Building Enclosures” with Eric Burnett. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC).Professor Straube is a member of the CSA A371 Masonry Construction Standards Committee, the CAN/ULC S741-08 Standard for Air Barrier Materials, the American Society of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) Canada among others.
Sustainability is a popular buzzword and feels really good to say.
It has become a cultural priority, so important for some that they insist that it must be part of everything we do. Some even say it's too important to be determined by individual choices and insist that we must be compelled to embrace it. It is no wonder there is rush to define and claim it. What does it mean and how do we know when it's real ?
Dr. Lstiburek will deliver an exclusive keynote address for AABSS25.
Joe takes a look at what real world durability and resilience in construction look like and may expose some fake sustainability claims along the way. Joe takes issue with feel-good pseudoscience and challenges many of today's most popular false narratives. He will examine motivations and incentives among activists and share his experiences working with them, and around them, to achieve sustainability.
Sustainability for bad days? What about storms, floods and hurricanes? Does our quest for sustainability extend to extraordinary circumstances? Joe will go beyond common static sustainability for our everyday lives and include planning for inevitable weather related catastrophes. Joe will share innovative methods for flood prone areas such as structures designed to be cleaned and repaired post flood rather than demolished and reconstructed each time from scratch.
Dr. Lstiburek will provide evidence for distinguishing viable cures that promote sustainability. He will expose meaningless displays of virtue and cult-like behaviors surrounding the topic.
Did you know that Joe is a big fan of Florida's building code?
Did you know that he thinks we are years ahead of other states?
Did you know that many Florida codes were penned by Dr. Joe?
Find out why, when it comes to codes, Joe likes Florida !
Dr. Lstiburek has had a major influence on current codes and standards. Nowhere more so than here in the Sunshine State.
For decades, the Building Commission and its various technical committees have modified Florida codes to include provisions penned by Dr. Lstiburek. Even during this years updates to the Florida Building Code, new code modifications submitted by Dr. Lstiburek have been passed in technical committees in preparation for our next code update.
Do you know which codes came from Joe? Would you like to hear directly from him what his thinking about them was? From diffusion vents in SPF attics, to return air intakes for bathrooms and closets; Joes ideas have become the basis for simple choices that arguably nobody else might have ever suggested.
These codes regulate things that you can and can't do in Florida of course. Joe has brought you some of both. He has offered better methods that have resulted in prohibiting inferior methods. But perhaps most noteworthy, are the freedoms that the code now allows that were brought to you by Dr. Lstiburek.
Find out more about the guy whose mind comes up with all these things that our building commissioners and technical committees so eagerly embrace and add to our code.
Comparison of attic enclosure configurations.
Moisture infiltration associated with vented spaces.
Standards and Code requirements for attic construction.
Construction of vented attic and design limitations.
Ducts, air handlers and chilled components in attics.
Open and Closed Cell spray foam for sealed attic spaces.
Do I need an attic dehumidifier? What is "ping-pong" effect ? Alternatives to control by dedicated attic dehumidifiers.
What can be done to resist condensation formation on ducts?
Roof types and materials; requirements and limitations.
Placement of moisture control barriers in roof assemblies.
Geometric challenges of overlaps, valleys and joints.
Identifying potential fail points during design phase.
Heat and moisture behavior; identify forces and stressors.
Attributes of properly constructed roof assemblies.
How to identify the causes of failed roofing issues.
Roof performance effects on other building systems.
Wall construction types for climate zones 1 and 2.
Identify control layers; rain vs vapor barriers.
Compare various wall construction strategies for CZ1.
Examine heat and moisture behavior within wall assemblies.
Dealing with wall penetrations, windows and apertures.
What is a drainage plane? Does my wall needs one?
Stucco, siding, brick, stone and other claddings.
Insulation and vapor barriers inside of walls.
Identify window installation attributes and challenges.
Windows installed flush with exterior wall plane (outies).
Windows installed recessed in exterior wall (innies).
Windows positioned partially recessed in wall ( tweenies).
What to look for in prepping opening for window install.
Common failures.
Role of HVAC systems; common issues and pitfalls.
Strategies utilizing environmental control equipment.
Mechanical systems protecting building materials.
Mechanical systems located in or out of conditioned space.
Duct issues; condensation, duct leakage and infiltration.
Dedicated dehumidifiers; when and where to use them.
Ventilation for humans and challenges for CZ1.
Investigating causes of building science related issues.
Identifying forces exerted upon various building systems.
Finding causation of failure points; testing to confirm.
Preventing or abating building science failures.
Proven time saving pro-tips for architects and engineers.
Built-in resilience and durability starting with design.
Communication failures between design and construction.
Best practices for built-in building science safeguards.
Heat behavior and control; methods and strategies.
Moisture control priorities for bulk rain systems.
Vapor infiltration and condensation issues.
Identify and properly utilize control layers.
Unique building science for multistory buildings.
Forces exerted upon high rise structures in CZ1.
Interior compartments and infiltration pathways.
Avoiding or, identifying and abating issues.
Questions & Answers following each session.
Come early and get started with breakfast and coffee.
Network with AABSS25 sponsors and attendees.
Meet Dr. Lstiburek and Dr. Straube.
TUESDAY 18th 5:30PM Immediately following Afternoon
Sessions for drinks and treats courtesy of Joyce Owens Architecture.
Meet Joe Lstiburek and John Straube.
Checkout Sponsor Exhibits.
* Early Registration Discounts Expire January 1st 2025
