North Central Building Science Symposium

I’m going to shamelessly make a sales pitch.

On May 9th and 10th of 2023, the Midwest Building Science Symposium (MWBSS) will be coming to Minnesota.  This two-day, all building science education event is to be held at Surly Brewing Company, 520 Malcolm Ave SE in Minneapolis.  There are a total of five speakers scheduled, we will get to that list in a bit, but first, let’s talk a little about the Building Science Symposium.

The first MWBSS was held September 16th, 2020, at Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, MO.  Put together by Travis Brungardt and Joe Cook from Catalyst Construction, two of the founding members of the Kansas City BS and Beer group.  The event featured Steve Baczek and Jake Bruton as the speakers and was free with Huber Engineered Woods and McCray Lumber covering the cost.  I made the drive from Northern Minnesota to Kansas City to attend the first MWBSS and was not disappointed.  The education was great, but my favorite part about attending events like this is the networking and side discussions that develop.  The chance to ask questions and discuss your successes with others interested in building science is priceless.

That first MWBSS was based on another event that happened a year earlier, October 2nd thru the 4th, 2019 in Southbridge, MA.  This was the dates of the Fine HomeBuilding Summit put on by Fine HomeBuilding Magazine, Green Building Advisor and Keep Craft Alive.  A three-day event dedicated to building science and building better.  Some of the biggest names in the industry spoke.  Steve Baczek and Jake Bruton were joined by Christine Williamson, Mike Guertin, Michael Maines, Peter Yost, Brett Hull, Glen Mathewson and Ben Bogie among others.  I also attended that event and is where I first met Travis and Joe.  We have since become good friends.

In 2021, the MWBBS was again held at Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, but the number of speakers grew.  That year featured Steve Baczek and Jake Bruton but added Mike Guertin, Ben Bogie, Peter Yost, and myself.  This second year was even better than the first.

In 2022, the event grew to four venues, Kansas City, Austin, TX (I attended this one), Chattanooga, TN and Washington DC (because of scheduling conflicts, the DC event was actually held in 2023.)

2023 will feature four new venues, The North Central Building Science Symposium in Minneapolis, the Northeast Building Science Symposium in Charlton, MA on June 20th and 21st.  Denver, CO is the location for the Rocky Mountain Building Science Symposium on September 12th and 13th, and the final of the year, the Southeast Building Science Symposium in Charlotte, NC on October 10th and 11th.

Back to the North Central Building Science Symposium.  There are five speakers, the first two are regulars to the symposium circuit:

Jake Bruton is the second-generation owner of Aarow Building in Columbia, MO.  I’ve known Jake for several years, he’s very approachable and willing to share his knowledge with anyone who will listen.  (He’s also got a wicked sense of humor).  He’s one of the original talents of The Build Show Network, has a podcast with Steve Baczek and Peter Yost called The UnBuildIt Podcast, and Jake active on Instagram.

The other regular to the Building Science Symposium circuit is Steve Baczek.  Steve isn’t afraid to tell you like it is, a Marine veteran, he’s a larger-than-life character who also is willing to share his 30 years of experience in the construction industry.  Steve was the first employee of Building Science Corp, hired as an architect.  Steve is also active on social media, one of the original Build Show Network‘s talents and part of the UnBuildIt podcast.  You can often find Steve sleeping during Jake’s presentations.

The next speaker is from Canada, John Straub is a building scientist and principle of RDH Building Science out of Waterloo, ON, Canada.  John 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.  He is the author of many books and papers on building science topics and was a former principle at Building Science Corporation.  I’ve had the opportunity to hear John speak in 2019, his sense of humor during his presentations is unforgettable.

The North Central Building Science Symposium has a theme going on, current and former workers of Building Science Corporation, and the next speaker is included in that list.  Kohta Ueno is a building scientist with Building Science Corporation, who I have a lot of respect for, he has a passion for testing buildings to figure out how they work.  Kohta is an occasional contributor to Green Building Advisor, though he frequently is on the site answering questions and giving advice.  His four-part series on How to Look at a House Like a Building Scientist is one of my favorite articles on Green Building Advisor.  Kohta is the only speaker I have yet to meet, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.

The last speaker on the list is Randy Williams, yep, me.  If you want to know more about the person who writes all these blogs, just read my first one, Northern Built – An Introduction – Northern Built.

I’m hoping you can take the time to attend this first visit of the Midwest Building Science Symposium to Minnesota.  We are hoping to have well over 100 attendees from all across the Upper Midwest.  The cost of the event is $170, there is an early bird discount, $120 if registered by May 1st.  (All the registration proceeds go to the Keep Craft Alive Organization and to supporting education in the trades.)  Sponsors include Huber Engineered Woods, Andersen Windows and Doors, Rockwool, Sashco, Atlas, and Fine HomeBuilding Magazine, among others.  (The NCBSS is looking for more sponsors, if your company or organization is interested, click here.)  For more information, visit the BS and Beer KC website at Northcentral (bsandbeerkc.org).  Hope to see you there!