Director and Principal of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Limited, UK, Lemieux has led the advancement of building science in architecture throughout his over a 25-year career in professional practice and as a thought-leader in the development of international technical design and construction standards. Dan earned a Bachelor of Science, Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).
Since joining WJE in 1996, Dan has successfully completed hundreds of projects in the area of building enclosure failure investigation, repair design, and architectural rehabilitation, including projects that have been recognized nationally for design and restoration excellence. As the firm’s Director of International Development, he is responsible for advancing WJE’s global architecture and building science practices. Prior to that, Dan served as Managing Principal of WJE’s Washington, D.C. office from 2005 to 2016.
Dan currently serves on multiple ASTM International committees including first vice chair of E06, Performance of Buildings and chair of E06.55, Performance of Building Enclosures. He is founding chair and a primary author of ASTM E2813, Standard Practice for Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) and worked closely with WJE colleagues and practicing and teaching professionals from across North America to support the development of ASTM E2813, ASTM E2947 Standard Guide for BECx and ASHRAE Standard 202 Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems. He served as an author and technical editor for the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) web-based Whole Building Design Guide and NIBS Guideline 3: Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process and is a core member and contributor to the AIA Knowledge Community on Building Performance.
Dan has developed, chaired and been invited to speak at multiple workshops and symposia on building science and the physics of building enclosure performance in North America, the UK, EU, UAE, and China, and co-chaired the Symposium on Building Physics and Conservation with Historic England and Historic Environment Scotland in London. In 2017, Dan helped establish the first overseas operating unit for WJE in London as a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Chartered Practice in the UK. He is a chartered member of RIBA, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a listed architect in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, Dan was invited to review and offer technical input on proposed regulatory reforms in the UK in response to the fire and continues to work closely with WJE’s Fire and Life Safety practice on this topic through project work and as an active member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Europe.
Dan’s project work has included iconic buildings and cultural landmarks in the U.S. and worldwide, notably the post-seismic assessment, stabilization, and repair design of the Washington Monument and the Washington National Cathedral as well as failure investigation; repair design; design peer review; design-assist and supply-chain quality assurance services for clients and projects located in North and Central America the UK, EU, Middle East and Asia.
Where did you go to college?
Georgia Tech
What does it take to be an architect?
Creativity and perseverance…
Was there an architect that particularly inspired you?
In history, Brunelleschi, as you might expect, for embodying – and demonstrating through his own work – the creative potential that can be unleashed when nature, art, and science are brought together to inform and to deliver structurally efficient, unique, and truly inspiring architecture. For many of the same reasons today, I am most inspired by the work of Calatrava and, perhaps in a slightly more restrained way, the late Zaha Hadid…
What are you currently reading?
Re-reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin and just starting A Promised Land by Barack Obama…
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
Dinner at Hisa Franko in the Soca River Valley near Kobarid, Slovenia. The history of this place, it’s pastoral setting in the shadow of nearby mountains, and the creativity of chef Ana Ros make this journey well worth the trip.
Why do you volunteer with AIA?
To give back, and to join with others to further develop and enhance the technical depth of our profession…
In a world facing what many now recognize as a climate emergency, we are for many of them the ‘first responders’ in this crisis – reacting to fires and leaning into increasingly violent weather to understand their origin so that we can deliver a safer and resilient built environment for those we continue to serve. To respond effectively to that challenge, it is imperative that we return to first principles in how we educate and train the next generation of architects in building science and the ‘art’ of delivering truly sustainable design.