It is with heavy heart that I share the news that Wagdy Anis died peacefully in his sleep, early in the morning of 10 March 2018.

Many of you knew him through his expertise in design and detailing of the building enclosure. He was never content to be the expert by himself, and worked throughout his career to mentor his colleagues, teach at conferences and contribute to professional committees. He was also responsible for duplicating the Boston Building Enclosure Councils throughout the US, as a way for us all to continue learning and discussing the building science concepts that drive the performance of the building enclosure. Wagdy traveled all over the country, assisting people setting up local BEC chapters to help spread building science principles and building enclosure knowledge. Wagdy is a past Chairman of the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council.

Wagdy also a lead promoter on the use of an air barrier in the United States. He was the Chairman of the Energy Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts’ Bureau of Building Reg’s and Standards. He convinced the Commonwealth to include requirements for an air barrier in the 2000 Massachusetts Building Code. These requirements included specific air leakage requirements, based on the then current Canadian National Building Code, the first such requirements in the US.

Wagdy spent time during the past couple of years developing training modules as part of an effort of the National Institute of Building Sciences to certify Building Enclosure Commissioning Professionals, and was planning to participate in rolling out this training at the upcoming BEST 5 conference. While he will not be there himself, his spirit will be carried on by the colleagues he trained for this work.

Wagdy was a true contributor to the future of our planet, through his deep understanding and ceaseless work, teaching and applying the science and practice needed to make buildings energy-efficient, durable and sustainable. He was also loving to his family, a man of faith and integrity, and I know that he will be missed by many in the design and construction industry.

Please join us for a toast to Wagdy and a discussion of his work. We will also briefly review the agenda of the upcoming Building Enclosure Science & Technology (BEST) 5 Conference to be held in Philadelphia. We will also present a snap shot of the building enclosure commissioning certification training program that Wagdy was spearheading. Three of the eight modules will be presented at the Best 5 conference.

Should you have any questions or comments please fee free to contact Brian H. Neely, at [email protected].