According to the board of the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers (RIL), Juha Vinha excellently meets the selection criteria for the Master of Science in Construction Engineering of the Year. These include high-quality engineering expertise and promoting the appreciation of the profession.
“Juha Vinha is an undisputed professional and authority figure in the construction industry, who has not only always looked far into the future, but also sparked discussion in the industry,” RIL’s justification states.
The award received by Vinha is also a significant recognition for the research work of Tampere University. The award awarded annually since 1997 has only been awarded to a representative of a university or higher education institution four times; the previous award recipient from Tampere was Professor Ralf Lindberg of the former Tampere University of Technology in 2006.
30 years of research and development
Over the course of three decades, Vinha’s research has focused on the thermal and moisture performance of structures, the building physical properties of building materials, indoor and outdoor air conditions, and the energy consumption of buildings. In addition, he and his research group have developed new methods and equipment for building physics research.
One of Vinha’s most significant achievements has been the development of a method for analysing the moisture performance of structures, making it possible to design moisture-safe structures in both current and future climate conditions. This also includes the Finnish mould growth model developed in cooperation with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the moisture design years determined in cooperation with the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The method has been used in numerous computational studies and theses.
Juha Vinha has also been involved in writing several construction guidelines both in Finland and abroad. Examples of these include RIL 107-2022 Building’s water and damp proofing guidelines, RIL 250-2020 Moisture control and prevention of mould damages, and the Ministry of the Environment’s moisture guidelines.
In total, Vinha has published more than 300 scientific publications together with other researchers and prepared more than 200 research reports for companies in the construction industry. He has participated in total of about 250 research projects involving more than 200 construction companies in Finland.
“The Master of Science in Construction Engineering of the Year award is a great recognition that I greatly appreciate. I feel that this is also a recognition of research and education in the construction industry,” says Juha Vinha.
The recipient of the award was revealed in connection with RIL’s spring meeting in Oulu on Thursday 25 April 2024.
Photo: Mirkku Merimaa / RIL ry
Text: Anna Aatinen / Tampere University