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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Daily Overview |
| 8:30am to 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 to 9:55am |
1.1: Welcome and Keynote Location: EHB 110B 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 to 11:15am |
1.2: Session 2: Managing Airborne Infection: Ventilation Limits, Emission variability and Real World Practice Location: EHB 110B Chair: Catherine Noakes 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 Chair: Mahroo Eftekhari 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 Chair: Dan McNaughton 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 to 11:45am |
Break: Refreshments and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 11:45am to 1:00pm |
1.5: Session 5: Raising the Bar: Setting Standards for Reliable and Resilient Heat Networks Location: EHB 110B 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 Chair: Anastasia Mylona 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 Chair: Ben Abel 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 to 2:15pm |
Lunch: Lunch and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 2:15pm to 3:15pm |
1.10: Session 10: Navigating Retrofit in Complex Public Buildings Location: EHB002 Chair: Maria Kolokotroni 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: EHB 110B 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 to 3:35pm |
Break 1.2: Refreshments and Networking Location: EHB Atrium |
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| 3:35pm to 4:35pm |
1.11: Session 11: Heat Pumps: From Models to Measured Experience Location: EHB 110B Chair: Ewan Jones 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 Where air conditioning is essential - Raising a red flag ten times Assessing overheating risks of UK buildings and severity of health impacts |
| 4:40pm to 6:05pm |
1.14: Session 14: Panel Discussion Location: EHB 110B 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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| 7:00pm to 9:00pm |
Recep 1: Evening Reception Location: Burleigh Court |
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