CIBSE’s recent conference, Building Performance Reimagined – What’s Next?, held on 26 November 2025 at the Royal Society in London, brought together leading voices from across the building services and sustainability sectors. The event, part of Fiona Cousins’ 2024–25 presidential theme, showcased actionable insights and next steps to address the evolving challenges of building performance in a changing world.
The conference, which was very well attended, featured three engaging sessions focusing on fabric, research, policy, and people-first approaches, highlighting practical applications of emerging performance metrics, innovative solutions, and successful retrofitting projects.
Session One: Fabric First
Chaired by Sasha Krstanovic, Founder and Design Lead at mstep and CIBSE Trustee, the session explored decarbonisation and climate resilience in the housebuilding sector. Speakers Kathryn Dapre (CALA), Tom Smith, and Ola Bialas (Hoare Lea) discussed the challenges and opportunities in reducing emissions and mitigating overheating, providing attendees with concrete examples of best practice.
Session Two: Research, Policy and Future Planning
This session, chaired by Sam Baptist, CIBSE Head of Government Affairs, focused on integrating research and policy into future planning. Becci Taylor (Arup), Lewis Turner, Dipo Lafinhan, and Andrew Wholley explored topics such as affordability within planetary boundaries, offering insights on creating homes that are both sustainable and economically viable.
Session Three: People First
The final session highlighted the importance of occupant wellbeing in building performance. Speakers Tom Randall, Jon Belfield, and Vic Tink (InTandem Systems) shared practical case studies and strategies to place people at the centre of building design, operation, and performance assessment.
The conference successfully brought together professionals, stakeholders, and thought leaders to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and inspire actionable change across the built environment. The event reinforced CIBSE’s commitment to advancing high-quality building performance while responding to the urgent sustainability, efficiency, and wellbeing challenges facing the industry.
Building Performance Reimagined – What’s Next? has set a benchmark for future CIBSE events, offering practical insights and inspiration to continue driving improvements across the sector.
Building Performance Reimagined – What’s Next? has set a benchmark for future CIBSE events, offering practical insights and inspiration to continue driving improvements across the sector.
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