The Building Performance Reimagined conference, held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, proved to be a resounding success, attracting a vibrant audience and fostering a wealth of insightful conversations.
With full attendance, this conference focused on CIBSE's transformative project, bringing together a diverse group of professionals from various sectors, including developers, architects, planners, surveyors, researchers, facilities managers, and contractors.
This pioneering event centred around the Building Performance Reimagined report, commissioned by CIBSE and researched by Arup.
Diverging from traditional CIBSE publications, the report emphasises a holistic and future-oriented perspective on building performance, rather than focusing solely on system sizing, maintenance, or controls. The conference highlighted four critical performance metrics identified in the report:
- Variety: How might building services optimize space, promote adaptability, and accommodate diverse uses and users?
- Readiness: How can building services reduce risk and harm while building anticipatory capacity to respond to unforeseen threats?
- Connectedness: In what ways can building services better respond to the context of the building and its contents, integrating with local and wider systems?
- Emergence: How can building services contribute positively beyond their consumption, and learn as structures age?
The conference began with a keynote address from Fiona Cousins, CIBSE President, who outlined the transformative Building Performance Reimagined project and report. Building on her earlier address this year during the report's launch, Fiona emphasised that buildings impact not only carbon emissions but also ecosystems, biodiversity, air and water quality, and human health. She set the agenda for the day, focusing on the engineer's role and our broader societal impact, while encouraging a reframing of the challenges faced in adopting a holistic approach to building performance.
The Building Performance Reimagined conference not only achieved its goal of informing and inspiring attendees about the future of building performance but also fostered a collaborative environment where professionals could engage in meaningful discussions. With a full house and a vibrant atmosphere, the event showcased the commitment of CIBSE and its members to advancing the field of building services and promoting a more sustainable, adaptable future.
