Wagdy Anis Symposium on Building Science 2025

Symposium Overview

Data-Driven Retrofits: Transforming Existing Enclosures For Performance

Retrofitting existing buildings to improve their energy performance is critical to meeting goals for mitigating climate change through reduction in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

• According to Architecture 2030, 27.3% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions is generated by the energy required to run building operations. Reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide requires increasingly energy-efficient building enclosures to reduce operational energy.

• The energy needed to produce cement, iron, steel and aluminum for building construction generates another 15% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. By preserving the fabric of existing buildings, we can significantly reduce the energy used to produce new construction materials.

With an enormous stock of existing buildings in need of energy performance upgrades, where do we start and how do we know what are the most effective solutions to improving performance? A wide range of technological tools is now available. In this symposium, we plan to explore the power of data and modeling for optimizing the impact of building enclosure retrofits.

Date

Thursday, 9 October 2025, 8am - 6pm

Location

BSA Space
290 Congress Street, Suite 200
Boston, MA

Symposium Schedule:

The full symposium schedule can be accessed here.

Sponsorship Opportunities

For details on opportunities to support the symposium, please visit our sponsorship page.

About Wagdy Anis FAIA (1941-2018)

Wagdy Anis served the architectural profession as a skilled problem solver, teacher, and advocate for the integrity and performance of the building enclosure in a career that spanned more than five decades.

During his 40-year tenure at Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, Anis became a leader in the application of building science principles to the practice of building enclosure design. In 2008 he joined Wiss, Janney, Elstner as a building enclosure consultant. Seven years later he established his own practice, Anis Building Enclosure Consulting. To view his full bio, please click here.

About the Building Enclosure Council

The Boston Building Enclosure Council (B-BEC) is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote technical excellence in the design and construction of the building enclosure. B-BEC is led by architects and building enclosure experts, to provide a forum where members of the design and construction industry can discuss common issues and share information on materials and methods, with the goal of promoting the well-informed application of building science to construction of commercial and residential buildings. We support this mission through monthly meetings and periodic special events, featuring panels, presentations, discussions and related activities.

Thank you to our 2025 Wagdy Anis Symposium Steering Committee

Co-Chairs:

Greta Eckhard, AIA, CSI, CCS | Board Member, Building Enclosure Council (BEC)

Bradford J. Prestbo, FAIA | Principal, Director of Boston Office, Studio NYL

Members:

Christopher Armstrong | Director of Building Envelope Science, PACE Representatives, Inc.

Robert Blount | Architectural Manager - New England, ROCKWOOL

Felipe Francisco, AIA, CPHC | Senior Architect, Technical Design Lead, Studio NYL

Stephen Holland, P.E., CPHC | Enclosure Consultant, LeMessurier

Luke Niezelski, P.E. | Senior Consulting Engineer, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.

Jim Norris | Retired Senior Associate, Goody Clancy Architects

Ryan David Ewell | Director, Envelope LLC

Richard Panciera, AIA, LEED AP, CPHT | Senior Associate – Director of Design Technology, Annum Architects

David Charney, AIA | Senior Associate, Goody Clancy

Tom Beresford, AIA, LEED AP | Senior Associate, Utile