Programme: Building Performance Reimagined

Agenda:

09:00 - 09:30	Registration
09:35 - 09:50	Keynote - Being the Connectors (Physical x Digital) Speaker: Sasha Krstanovic
09:50 - 11:00	Reimagining Building Performance: A Fabric-Led Systems Approach This session will explore how fabric-first strategies can accelerate progress toward net zero in the built environment by integrating legislative drivers, digital collaboration, and climate resilience modelling. Speakers will examine the evolving role of building fabric in reducing operational energy, addressing embodied carbon, and enhancing occupant wellbeing—while recognising regional disparities, regulatory tensions, and the need for future-ready design tools and financial incentives. Chair: Sasha Krstanovic, Founder and Design Lead at mstep and CIBSE Trustee Joel Callow, Beyond Carbon - presenting Digital tools to drive value in early Passivhaus design Kathryn Dapre, CALA - Kathryn will explore how legislation continues to shape housebuilding, from land costs to design priorities, with the Future Homes Standard moving the industry towards zero-carbon ready homes. She highlights the balance between fabric performance and system integration, while stressing the urgent need to address embodied carbon. Drivers for change are examined, including customer demand and local planning requirements. Ola Bialas, Hoare Lea - presenting on Hoare Lea's work with UK Green Building Council on the impact of heatwaves and changing the way we design buildings to withstand rising temperatures/climate change
11:00 - 11:20	Break
11:20 - 12:30	Renewables in Context: Performance-Driven Integration Strategies This session will explore how renewable energy technologies can be integrated into building performance strategies, focusing on real-world constraints, performance metrics, and system synergies. The session will equip attendees with practical insights into aligning renewables with building/space use, climate, and operational goals. Richard Hipkiss, Elemental Group Quinten Babcock, Transport for London - presenting TfL Palestra’s decarbonisation journey
12:30 - 13:30	Lunch
13:30 - 14:40	People First: Engineering Net Zero with Human-Centred Metrics To explore how decarbonisation strategies can succeed by placing people at the heart of building performance. This session examines how comfort, usability, and occupant insight are critical to unlocking energy efficiency and long-term resilience. Through case studies spanning BMS innovation, post-occupancy evaluation, and user-led thermal feedback, we’ll investigate how collaborative design, operational transparency, and systemic change can empower facilities teams, future-proof infrastructure, and foster buildings that work with their users—not against them. Chair: Professor Marcella Ucci Tom Randall, Arup - presenting on people-first approaches to building performance—designing for comfort, usability, and future resilience. Jon Belfiled, InTandem - presenting case studies that demonstration future-proofing buildings through client collaboration, systemic change, and bold engineering leadership. Vic Tink, Klimatise - presenting the results of a recent pilot study at UCL, using Klimatise's software platform designed to enhance thermal comfort by actively involving building occupants in the feedback loop.
14:40 - 15:00	Break
15:00 - 16:10	Performance Reimagined: Aligning Research, Policy, and Future Planning To spotlight the transformative projects and engineering leadership shaping the future of building performance, this session explores how research-driven innovation, progressive policy frameworks, and bold design thinking are converging to deliver a safe, sustainable built environment. Through case studies including the GLA Zero Carbon Accelerator, Arup’s Homes That Don’t Cost the Earth, and rapid-deployable healthcare infrastructure, we’ll examine how today’s engineering solutions are anticipating tomorrow’s societal needs—reimagining resilience, equity, and carbon-conscious design for the decades ahead. Eszter Gulacsy, Mott MacDonald - co-presenting on the work Mott MacDonald has done with the GLA on the Zero Carbon Accelerator, offering free technical support to London-based organisations on their decarbonisation journey. Andrew Wholley, Mott MacDonald Becci Taylor, Arup - presenting on the Homes that don’t cost the Earth project - https://darkmatterlabs.org/feed/homes-that-dont-cost-the-earth Lewis Turner, Arup - presenting ongoing work to develop rapid-deployable healthcare infrastructure
16:10 - 17:00	Celebrate the 2026 CIBSE Building Performance Awards Shortlist over drinks and network with peers.

Key Learning Outcomes:

Implementable Frameworks – Tools and methodologies ready for application in your projects, from Passivhaus design approaches to prioritisation matrices for decarbonisation investments.
Real-World Case Studies – Evidence from live projects demonstrating measurable outcomes across residential, commercial, and public sector buildings.
Climate Adaptation Strategies – Practical approaches to designing buildings that withstand rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing environmental conditions in the UK.
Human-Centred Metrics – Methods for measuring and managing performance that prioritise occupant wellbeing alongside environmental objectives.
Policy Navigation – Understanding of how holistic performance thinking aligns with evolving regulations, from building standards to climate commitments.
Systems Integration – Strategies for connecting buildings to local infrastructure, context, and community for more resilient, efficient outcomes.
Regenerative Approaches – Techniques for designing buildings that contribute more than they consume, learning and improving throughout their lifecycles.

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