Smart buildings and digital engineering: research insights and perspectives

Stephen White leads CSIRO's Energy Efficiency Research. He also leads the “Data Clearing House” Activity in the Affordable Heating and Cooling Innovation Hub (i-Hub). He is the Operating Agent for the International Energy Agency EBC Annex 81 “Data-Driven Smart Buildings” and the more recent IEA Annex 96 on “Grid-Integrated Control of Buildings”. Dr White has over 25 years of experience in energy end use efficiency and electricity industry demand side management.

Paul Ruyssevelt is Professor of Energy and Building Performance where he leads on research in energy use and operational performance in non-domestic buildings. An architect with 40 years’ experience in low energy and sustainable buildings he has worked in both academia and industry and always maintained an active involvement in applied research. Paul is the UK alternate delegate and Vice Chair to the IEA Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Technology Collaboration Programme.

Philip Haves is the retired Leader of the Simulation Research Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), a U.S. Department of Energy national lab. He has worked on different aspects of commercial buildings since 1986, with particular interests in simulation and in building operations. He is a Fellow of ASHRAE, the chair of its Technical Committee on Energy Calculations.

After 10 years in the IT sector in the UK and Australia, James retrained as a Civil Engineer to be closer to the action. Specialising in BIM and Digital Construction on major projects for the past 12 years, James now leads the implementation of operational Digital Twins at Kier, delivering innovative lifecycle benefits to clients. His expertise lies in integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance operational outcomes and streamline processes.

Rui Tang is a Lecturer in Smart Buildings and Digital Engineering at UCL. He conducts interdisciplinary works to facilitate the low-carbon technology transitions of multi-scale energy systems, spanning from building HVAC design & control, load prediction, demand response and electricity pricing to large-scale modelling and data-driven techniques. Before joining UCL, he worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as Senior Scientific Engineering Associate.