John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng.
What John Does
John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a Principal at RDH Building Science, where he conducts forensic investigations, assists with the design of new high performance buildings, and leads research projects in the areas of low-energy building design, building enclosure performance, hygrothermal analysis, and field performance monitoring. Dr. Straube is also a cross-appointed faculty member in the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He was a Principal at Building Science Corporation from 2006 to 2013, and is the author or co-author of over 100 published technical papers, author of the book High Performance Enclosures and co-author, with Eric Burnett, of Building Science for Building Enclosures. Dr. Straube’s leadership as a building scientist and an educator has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC).
The following pages provide more information about John and his work.
- His Department of Engineering faculty page and School of Architecture faculty page provide an overview of research interests, teaching interests, courses taught, etc.
- The Building Engineering Group website highlights his research and education work at the University of Waterloo.
- Many of his research and informational publications can be found at rdh.com and buildingscience.com.
How to Reach Him
To book John as a speaker, please contact him directly or select “Book a Speaker (any location)” under “Location” on this form.
RDH Building Science, Waterloo office:
167 Lexington Court, Unit 6
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2J 4R9
Phone: (519) 342-4731
Email: jfstraube@rdh.com
RDH Building Science, Toronto office:
#350, 26 Soho Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 1Z7
Phone: (416) 314-2328
Email: jfstraube@rdh.com
University of Waterloo:
Phone: (519) 741-7920
jfstraube@uwaterloo.ca
John’s Books
High Performance Enclosures
High Performance Enclosures: Design Guide for Institutional, Commercial and Industrial Buildings in Cold Climates provides guidance for architects and building enclosure engineers working to meet the growing need for buildings that have significantly lower operational energy consumption. John Straube addresses a range of practical questions about low energy building enclosures that save energy while simultaneously improving durability, comfort, and rain control: How much of an impact can the enclosure, massing, and orientation have? How much glazing is appropriate and what options are available? How much does thermal bridging matter and how can it be minimized at difficult structural details? How does one detail thick layers of continuous insulation outside of steel stud walls? Can layers of insulating sheathing reduce the risk of moisture damage?
High Performance Enclosures is available for purchase through Building Science Press.
Building Science for Building Enclosures
This advanced text is intended for the building professions: the engineer, architect or technical specialist involved in the design, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, and renovation of buildings. The focus is on predicting and understanding the heat, air, and moisture response of the building enclosure, i.e., walls, windows, roofs, below-grade construction. The text moves from the fundamental physics to more practical applications for all climate regions, including worked example calculations of heat flow, vapor diffusion and air leakage condensation through building enclosures.
Building Science for Building Enclosures is being updated for a new and significantly expanded edition. Earlier editions are out of print.
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High Performance Enclosures
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Building Science for Building Enclosures