CIBSE Technical Symposium 2026
March 2026 at Loughborough University, United Kingdom
Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of the CIBSE Technical Symposium 2026. Please select a date or location to show only sessions on that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view. For more information and to register your place please visit, https://www.cibse.org/symposium
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Session Overview |
| Date: Thursday, 26/Mar/2026 | |||
| 8:30am - 9:15am |
REG: Registration and welcome refreshments Location: EHB Atrium Find out more and register via https://www.cibse.org/symposium Please arrive in good time to receive your delegate badge. There will be refreshments served on arrival. |
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| 9:15am - 9:55am |
1.1: Welcome and Keynote Location: EHB104 Chair: Mike Burton Opening Address by Dr. Anastasia Mylona, CIBSE Technical Director, followed by a Welcome from CIBSE Vice President, Mike Burton. Keynote Session (incl Q&A) by Professor Catherine Noakes, University of Leeds Integrating science, policy and practice for healthy and sustainable buildings Professor Cath Noakes OBE is the Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation and Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds, UK. She is a chartered engineer with substantial experience leading research into buildings and health, particularly around ventilation, air quality and infection control. She has worked closely with policy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including contributing to UK SAGE committee, NHS guidance on healthcare environments, WHO groups, and work with the Royal Academy of Engineering. |
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| 10:00am - 11:15am |
1.2: Session 2: Managing Airborne Infection: Ventilation Limits, Emission variability and Real World Practice Location: EHB104 Airborne infection risk in marquees Limits to the Effectiveness of Ventilation for Reducing Airborne Infection Risk Due to Widely Varying Emissions “We have to freeze or be deafened”: A survey on the effectiveness of CO₂ alarms in university spaces. |
1.3: Session 3: Retrofit for Real Homes: Energy Use, Comfort and Community Energy Location: EHB001 Transforming 1920-1940s housing to minimise energy use and optimise comfort More than technical: towards people-centric practices in historic building retrofits Rural Renewable Energy Towns for sustainable performance fit for 2050 |
1.4: Session 4: Climatic, Vernacular and Performance‑Driven Approaches in Environmental Building Design Location: EHB002 From Symbolism to Sustainability: Post-Occupancy Daylight Evaluation of the National Assembly Mosque in Bangladesh Data-Driven Optimisation of Net Zero Energy Residential Buildings in Dhaka: Integrating Evolutionary Algorithms and Vernacular Wisdom in High-Density Urban Contexts Sense of Balcony: A Conceptual Model of Sense of Place in Housing Threshold Spaces |
| 11:15am - 11:45am |
Break: Refreshments and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 11:45am - 1:00pm |
1.5: Session 5: Raising the Bar: Setting Standards for Reliable and Resilient Heat Networks Location: EHB104 Chair: Ellen Salazar Heat Network Metering and Monitoring Standard: Regulating metering systems within UK heat networks Energy security, reliability and net zero investment in a heat network portfolio: Prioritising with limited data Setting Resilience and Equipment Condition Standards for Heat Networks Setting Standards for Pressure in Heat Networks |
1.6: Session 6: Circularity in Practice: Barriers, Enablers and Solutions Location: EHB001 Navigating Complexity to Unlock Sustainable Building Reuse The circularity potential of the Stadium building: existing reuse versus newbuild design for disassembly explored through recent case studies and interviews with their designers Unlocking Circularity in MEP and HVAC Systems: The Relevance of Digital Construction Sustainable workplace: Enhancing Health & Wellbeing through Circular Design |
1.7: Session 7:When Models Meet Reality: Understanding Thermal Performance in Buildings and Beyond Location: EHB002 Beyond Simplistic Assumptions: The Critical Need for Advanced Infiltration Modelling in Dynamic Thermal Simulations Limitations of Compliance Modelling in ‘Smart Building’ Evolution A Modelica-based Model for Dynamically Simulating the Energy Performance Degradation of Closed-loop Hydronic Heating Systems Dynamic thermal modelling of roof insulation effects in a buried service reservoir: a UK case study |
| 1:00pm - 2:15pm |
Lunch: Lunch and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 2:15pm - 3:15pm |
1.10: Session 10: Navigating Retrofit in Complex Public Buildings Location: EHB002 Inclusive and Low-Carbon Mechanical Retrofit in Healthcare Planning whole house energy retrofits in social housing – investigating stakeholder needs to ensure effective and efficient decision making Internal Stakeholder Perspectives on Retrofit in the Museum Sector |
1.8: Session 8: Rethinking Certification for Healthier, Higher‑Performing Buildings Location: EHB104 Chair: Ellen Salazar Passivhaus delivery lessons from two UK projects From Office Block to Award-Winning Residence: St Crispin’s House Champions Student Wellness Beyond Certification: Designing for Brain Health and Wellbeing through Certified Environments |
1.9: Session 9:Measuring Thermal Behaviour and Envelope Performance Location: EHB001 Chair: Jaydeep Bhadra Empirical Methods for Measuring Thermal Responsiveness in Buildings: Impacts of Monitoring Design on Short-Term Flexibility Assessment Characterisation of dynamic building physics during overheating tests under controlled conditions MEZeroE Open Innovation Test Bed for building envelope products: fostering the collaboration between industry and research |
| 3:15pm - 3:35pm |
Break 1.2: Refreshments and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 3:35pm - 4:35pm |
1.11: Session 11: Heat Pumps: From Models to Measured Experience Location: EHB104 A hybrid approach to predicting indoor temperature of residential heat pumps using system identification and physics-informed neural networks. Air source heat pump sizing: a sensitivity analysis Heat pump noise in schools: influence of heat pump placement on noise exposure |
1.12: Session 12:Transforming Building Services with AI and Machine Learning Location: EHB001 Chair: Divya Chavda A High-fidelity Multi-Building Simulation Platform for Reinforcement Learning-based Coordinated Control Strategies Training and Benchmarking Integrating Surrogate Modeling and LLMs for Data-Driven Life-Cycle Carbon Assessment in Building Retrofitsarning Approaches An AI-Powered Feedback Ecosystem for Circular and Carbon-Conscious Building Design |
1.13: Session 13: Overheating and Health Risk in a Hotter Climate: Weather Data, Cooling and Resilience Location: EHB002 Chair: Jasmine Ng Developing Location-Specific Weather Data for Resilient Building Design in Remote Climates Where air conditioning is essential - Raising a red flag ten times Assessing overheating risks of UK buildings and severity of health impacts |
| 4:40pm - 6:05pm |
1.14: Session 14: Panel Discussion Location: EHB104 Chair: Vanda Dimitriou Chair: Bill McQuade Hear from guest speaker Bill McQuade, ASHRAE President, followed by a Panel Discussion chaired by Vanda Dimitriou (Loughborough University) and Bill McQuade (ASHRAE President). Fit for 2050: Are Building Services Engineers Being Replaced, Repositioned - or Reinvented by AI?”
Bringing together leading academics, practitioners, and professional voices, the session will explore how AI is reshaping performance, simulation, wellbeing, and the future role of the engineer - challenging assumptions and inviting the audience into the conversation.
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| Date: Friday, 27/Mar/2026 | |||
| 8:30am - 9:00am |
2.REG: Registration and refreshments Location: EHB104 |
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| 9:00am - 9:15am |
2.15: Session 15 Location: EHB104 Opening Address by Hannah Gray - CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Winner Designing Buildings Fit for 2050: A Next Generation Perspective This opening address reflects on what it means for buildings to be “fit for 2050”, moving beyond compliance towards real performance, resilience, and inclusive design. It highlights the role of research, data, and collaboration in delivering buildings that support both people and the planet.
Hannah Gray is a mechanical engineer at Foster + Partners and the current CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year. She is a graduate from the University of Edinburgh with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering. Alongside her professional practice, Hannah is actively involved in mentoring and graduate development, supporting early-career engineers through a range of industry engagement initiatives. Her work focuses on integrating technical design decisions with measurable sustainability outcomes, with a particular interest in how engineering strategies can support high-performance, environmentally responsible buildings. |
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| 9:20am - 10:35am |
2.16: Session 16: Delivering Heat Networks in Practice: Costs, Integration and System Optimisation Location: EHB104 Chair: Ben Arnold Benchmarking operational energy performance of higher educational institutions in England and Wales and analysing energy use characteristics Investigating Categorisation of Hospitals for Energy Performance Evaluation Purposes in the UK Using Data-driven Approach Comparing energy use calculations from SBEM and a DSM |
2.17: Session 17: Digital Twins in Practice: Connecting BIM, BEM, and Building Controls for Real Performance Location: EHB001 The impact of Level of Detail on the interoperability between Building Information Modelling and Building Energy Modelling. A validated approach using real-world data Demonstration of an Active Control Methodology in a Rehabilitation Building in Estonia using Optimisation Techniques and Physics-Based Simulations Making the sensors make sense |
2.18: Session 18: Closing the Carbon Gap: From Early-Stage Design to Transitional Technologies Location: EHB002 Bridging the Performance Gap: A Whole Life Carbon Optioneering Tool for Early-Stage Housing Design Investigating the Efficacy of Building Standards in Reflecting the Benefits of Low-Carbon Building Materials Domestic Carbon Capture as a Transitional Technology in the Path to Net Zero |
| 10:35am - 10:55am |
Break 2.1: Break Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 11:00am - 12:15pm |
2.19: Session 19: Modelling Overheating Risk: Modelling, Testing and Validation Location: EHB104 Adapting the UK Building Stock to Future Heat Stress: Typology-Based Overheating Risk and Mitigation Modelling Robustness of Part O overheating mitigation guidelines to future UK climate scenarios Reliable overheating modelling in modern apartments: empirical validation |
2.20: Session 20: Delivering Heat Networks in Practice: Costs, Integration and System Optimisation Location: EHB001 Towards Net-Zero: A Comprehensive Cost Estimation Model for Building Connections to District Heating Systems Decarbonising Heat in Social Housing: A Retrofit Pilot Integrating Low-Temperature Heat Networks Optimising Anchor load buildings on District Heat Networks Decarbonisation of UK Leisure Centre Using District Heat Networks: Understanding Existing Occupancy Heating Demand |
2.21: Session 21: Indoor Air Quality in Workplaces: Pollutants, Plants and People Location: EHB002 Indoor air quality and ventilation – the challenge of controlling indoor NO2 in modern office buildings LARGE SCALE EXPERIMENTS ON THE IMPACT OF GREEN LIVING WALLS ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY OF OFFICE BUILDINGS Quantifying Formaldehyde Purification Efficiency by Moss (Physcomitrella patens) under Controlled Environment Occupancy in office buildings: insights from 22 meeting rooms in central London |
| 12:00pm - 1:15pm |
2. Lunch: Lunch and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 1:15pm - 2:30pm |
2.22: Session 22: Mitigating Overheating: Proven, Overlooked and Emergency Strategies Location: EHB104 Chair: Jaydeep Bhadra Mitigating future summertime overheating in houses: influence of ventilation strategies Yoghurt on windows as an emergency, low-cost heatwave preparation intervention Plant or Plants? A Cross-disciplinary Investigation of Green Infrastructure's (GI) integration in Low Carbon Healthy Design |
2.23: Session 23: Smart Resource Systems for 2050: Technology, Policy & User Behaviour Location: EHB001 Optimising the Integration of PV in CHP-Operated Hospitals: Overcoming Conflicts on the Road to Net Zero Data Centres, Heat Recovery and the Route to Net Zero Advantages of vacuum drainage is water-scarce areas and healthcare environment From Transparency to Trust: Why Complex Tariffs Create ‘Sustainability Fatigue’ and Undermine Occupant-Driven Decarbonisation |
2.24: Session 24: Designing Indoor Environments for Wellbeing and Human Performance Location: EHB002 Clean Air, Cloudy Evidence: Reassessing Ventilation, IAQ, and Learning Outcomes in Schools Non-Visual Lighting Strategies for Circadian Well-being in Educational Spaces: An Integrative Case Study In the race to achieve Net Zero, have we forgot to M.E.G.A. Make Environments Great Again. Does designing for people performance in an Air Traffic Control Tower increase energy use. Indoor Air Quality in Homes retrofitted with Heat Pumps and Electric Cooking |
| 2:40pm - 3:55pm |
2.25: Session 25: Smarter HVAC Sizing for Net Zero: Methods, Comfort and Early-Stage Decision-Making Location: EHB104 Bridging the Gap Between Steady-State and Dynamic Load Modelling: A Sizing Methodology for Net-Zero HVAC Design in Office Buildings Rethinking Thermal Comfort in the Middle East: Localised CLO Inputs and Sustainable HVAC Design for Open Bowl Stadia Early design sizing solutions for building services system under different uncertainties. |
2.26: Session 26: Data Driven Insights for High-Performing Buildings Location: EHB001 From Controlled Experiments to Real-World Insights: A “Test bed Building” framework for Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Building Envelope Systems Leveraging High-Granularity Operational Data to Inform Building Control Strategies, Indoor Air Quality and Performance Gap Considerations From Compliance to Performance: Embedding Indoor Air Quality in Sustainable Workplaces for Occupant Wellbeing within a B Corp Framework Data-Driven Optimisation of Electrified Heating Systems: A Case Study on the University of Warwick Campus. |
2.27: Session 27: Net Zero Pathways for Public Estates: Strategic Approaches Across Sectors Location: EHB002 A Collaborative Framework for Developing a Net Zero Pathway Across England’s School Estate A Prioritised Net Zero Carbon Pathway for the DfE Schools Estate: Outputs and Strategic Insights Towards Net-Zero Operational Carbon: Strategic Retrofitting and Energy Optimisation of Middlesex University College Building |
| 4:00pm - 4:25pm |
CLOSE: Closing Remarks Location: EHB104 Closing Remarks by Anastasia Mylona, CIBSE Technical Director, followed by Awards and closing drinks reception. |
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