FutureBuild 2013
FutureBuild (4-6 September 2013) is an international conference and networking event dedicated to the design of the built environment post 2050. It will investigate what radical and transformative technologies and ideas might be being employed by that date, with a focus on the whole building, energy systems, communities and occupants.
Over the next forty years many of the world's cities will double in size. There is the expectation that energy systems will largely decarbonize and it is likely that the climate will be markedly different.
Buildings built or refurbished at this date and beyond will therefore have very different constraints on them. They will need to be able to provide suitable internal and external climates, use very little energy, integrate fully with a decarbonized and decentralised smart grid and be built in novel ways using novel materials.
Such a challenge will require a considerable leap in knowledge in many areas of engineering and architecture, but also urban planning, social science and IT. It will also require a holistic approach, considering the whole system operation and the lifetime and durability of buildings.
FutureBuild 2013 will concentrate on two of these challenges: energy demand and the adaptation to a future climate. The unique aspects of the conference are that only the post 2050 world will be considered and that we hope to use the conference as a way of encouraging substantive international research collaborations for future work in this new area.
You can find more information on the FutureBuild conference website.
