Technical University of Denmark will host the International Building Physics Conference 25-27 August 2021. The conference takes place both on-site and online and is a unique opportunity to meet the world’s leading experts in the field of building physics.
The International Building Physics Conference is held every three years around the world, and this time, in 2021, the conference will come to Denmark at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). DTU invites everyone with an interest in building physics to join. It is a scientific conference, but it is not limited to researchers only, emphasizes Professor Carsten Rode from DTU, who is Chair of the Organising Committee.
“Research in building physics is ultimately about creating a more sustainable, healthy and durable built environment. Most of the conference papers have a practical perspective on this, so we hope that we will also see practitioners, educators, students, manufacturers and others. The conference is a unique opportunity to knowledge sharing in this field,” says Carsten Rode.
Around 300 presentations
“The conference is a unique opportunity to knowledge sharing in this field” Professor, Conference Chair Carsten Rode, DTU
Over three days, researchers from across the world will present approx. 300 scientific papers. Each day will be organised in four-five tracks with themes that span over all aspects of building physics, e.g. energy efficiency, innovative materials, heat, air, moisture and many more.
One of the major themes at the conference is indoor environment, in many cases seen from a user or health angle, for example in relation to dealing with pollutants or improving temperature and air quality in buildings. Several presentations will address the current COVID-19 situation, e.g. on how to detect, control and reduce the risk of airborne infection indoor.
Acoustics and lighting are also well represented, for example with studies of new, innovative glass technologies used for temperature and light control.
“I am pleased to see that there are several contributions on lighting and acoustics. Normally, we do not see many contributions on these topics at our conferences, but they are also part of building physics,” says Carsten Rode.
Bio-based materials
Carsten Rode estimates that a third of the contributions are true to the classical building physics, which deals with heat, air and moisture conditions in buildings and materials.
“Even though it is an old research area, our knowledge is continually refined with new experimental methods. Today, for example, we can study material properties right down to molecular level,” says Carsten Rode.
New products are constantly marketed and at this year’s conference, several presentations will focus on bio-based materials, such as wood and hemp.
“Today, many people are proponents for bio-based materials. Research can help investigate and assess how these materials actually work in practice. I expect that the conference will offer new, documented insights in this area,” says Carsten Rode.
We can learn from each other internationally
The speakers at the conference represent 45 different countries, and thus many different building styles – from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and from America to Asia.
“There is a lot of tradition in the way we build. There can be huge differences just across the border to our neighbour countries. There is plenty of inspiration in meeting and seeing different national and regional uses materials, constructions and solutions. We can really learn from each other internationally and that is why we need a world conference like this,” says Carsten Rode.
See the programme and the different opportunities to participate on-site or online at www.ibpc2021.org