On November 3, the Ontario Building Envelope Council bestowed the 2015 Anthony A. Woods Award upon Professor Ted Kesik. The award is given annually to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the design, construction and performance of the building envelope. This is the Council’s premier award, named in honour of Tony Woods, who first created the award in 1991 and gave it its nickname, “The Beckie.”

Said Professor Kesik in his acceptance speech at the President's Award Ceremony:

In an urbanized world where we spend about 90% of our time indoors, it is critical that we design, construct, commission, operate and maintain buildings that are durable, efficient, comfortable, healthful and environmentally responsible.Every building scientist knows that the environmental performance of buildings is largely determined by the quality of the envelope, not just for the sake of energy efficiency, but for the provision of thermal comfort, daylighting, natural ventilation and aesthetic delight. It is essential for us to promote the highest standards of technical, environmental and aesthetic performance in our buildings because we want to make sure succeeding generations inherit a legacy, not a liability. To promote intergenerational equity, we must return architectural education to its roots and ensure our graduates are fully capable of integrating building science principles into the design of buildings. Architects must be taught how to work with engineers and landscape architects to achieve environmentally responsible levels of performance that can be predicted at the design stage, uncompromised during procurement, assured throughout construction and confirmed when buildings are commissioned. Performance must be more than a promise, it must be a professional guarantee.

Ted Kesik is a professor of building science in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. He entered the construction industry in 1974 and has since gained extensive experience in the various aspects of building enclosure design, energy modeling and systems integration.

His research interests include high performance buildings, durability, life cycle assessment, and sustainability. Professor Kesik also has a professional 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 numerous books, studies, reports and articles related to his areas of research and professional practice.

Professor Kesik's notable contributions include:

• Tower Renewal Guidelines - Principal Researcher, 2008-2009, City of Toronto, Toronto Atmospheric Fund and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. 
• Solar Buildings Conceptual Design Tool - Research Co-Supervisor, 2006-2011, Solar Buildings Research Network (NSERC Strategic Network Program). 
• Cost-Benefit Study of City of Toronto’s Green Development Standard - Principal Researcher, 2007-2008, on behalf of the City of Toronto, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and Ontario Centres of Excellence.
• Environmental Separator Performance Matrix Methodology - Research Supervisor, 2003 - 2007, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Discovery Grant.
• Practical Measures for the Prevention of Basement Flooding Due to Municipal Sewer Surcharge - Principal Researcher, 2002-2003, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, External Research Program.
• Performance Guidelines for Basement Systems and Materials - Co-Researcher, 2000-2005, Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada.

The Daniels Faculty would like to extend its congratulations to Professor Kesik for receiving this award.