About PBS

POPULAR BUILDING SCIENCE

 

Popular Building Science is a web site devoted to the dissemination of building science knowledge and information. Similar to print magazines like Popular Science, the web site is aimed at demystifying technical aspects of buildings with a strong focus on environmental performance that benefits people and the planet.

Modern building science has become indispensable to advancing performative concepts in building design as a result of the building-as-a-system concept. It should be recognized that prior to the introduction of the systems approach to the discipline of building science, most of research and practice dealt with construction materials and components. The consideration of the entire building system, or in some instances sub-systems, did not emerge until the limits of a less holistic approach became painfully obvious in the form of building defects and failures. Post-occupancy evaluations of our buildings continue to reveal mediocre levels of satisfaction by their inhabitants regardless of building program certifications and compliance with the latest codes and standards.

A great deal of research and development toward the advancement of the systems approach remains to be accomplished. Despite their limitations, the system models that have been adopted by modern building science have delivered an overwhelming improvement in the health, safety, and durability of buildings. For this reason, more than any other, building science is now recognized in most developed countries as the core of technical training for architects explaining why buildings work, why buildings fail, and how to avoid the latter without compromising the artistic, cultural, and environmental qualities of the architectural artifact.

This web site is also devoted to the advancement of building science to promote livability, affordability, durability, resilience and sustainability. The intended audience is primarily building design practitioners, academics and students, as well as the general public. Visitors to this site are encouraged to access all of the digital resources and to freely download and/or share them. Acknowledgement of the source of these digital resources is greatly appreciated but entirely voluntary, since there are no such things as original ideas, only the same constellation of concepts recontextualized by successive civilizations as the future unfolds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This web site is authored by Ted Kesik, a professor of building science in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto with a career focus on the integration of professional practice, research and teaching. He entered the construction industry in 1974 and has since gained extensive experience in various aspects of building enclosure design, energy modeling, quality assurance, commissioning, performance verification, and building systems integration. Professor Kesik’s research interests include resilience, sustainability, durability, high performance buildings, life cycle assessment and building performance simulation. His current research involves the development of design guidelines for low-carbon buildings that are resilient, sustainable and promote climate change adaptation. Dr. Kesik continues to practice as a consulting engineer to leading architectural offices, forward thinking enterprises and progressive government agencies. He remains actively involved in technical organizations and is the author of books, studies, reports and articles related to his areas of research and professional practice

CURRICULUM VITAE