The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is scoping for an international weather data project which includes exploring opportunities in Australia.
CIBSE CEO, Ruth Carter, said the organisation has a strong and growing presence in the ANZ region which means CIBSE is well placed to expand their work on high-quality weather data internationally.
She said building on the expertise developed through their established UK weather datasets CIBSE is now scoping to expand their work globally.
“This includes exploring opportunities in Australia and other regions to assess where developing region-specific weather files could deliver the greatest impact in improving building performance and resilience,” she said.
Carter will begin the assessment during a visit to Australia later this month when she will meet with CEOs of major building companies, key industry bodies including Engineers Australia and local universities.
Carter will be travelling with CIBSE 2025/26 president, Vince Arnold, and will present the organisation’s international methodology for calculating embodied carbon in building services engineering.
“In the ANZ region, this commitment to performance-led knowledge is closely aligned with NABERS which was developed in Australia and remains one of the world’s most robust systems for measuring and verifying in-use building performance,” she said.
CIBSE is the administrator of NABERS UK and is working to strengthen the feedback loop between regions, enabling shared learning and greater transparency in operational energy performance.
Australia and New Zealand represent one of CIBSE’s largest membership bases globally with the organisation hosting a series of breakfasts in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to bring together senior leaders from across the built environment.
“These events are designed as a forum for open discussion to deal with the challenges the sector is facing, issues like the skills shortage,” Carter said.
“Many of these issues are local in detail but global in nature. Issues such as decarbonisation, regulatory change and performance are not confined to one country.
“One of the great strengths of being part of a global professional body is the ability to learn from international experience.
“During my visit I will be highlighting some of those insights and exploring how global expertise can support local priorities in Australia.”
Carter said markets such as Australia, the Middle East and Hong Kong represent major areas of growth and often face different building typologies, climate conditions and regulatory frameworks – including a significant concentration of tall buildings.
“We focus on where CIBSE can add distinct value particularly in areas such as building performance,” she said.
“Australia’s geographic scale and the variation in climate, regulation and market dynamics across states and territories require a nuanced approach Consistency of standards must sit alongside sensitivity to local conditions.
“Our approach in Australia remains long term. We aim to support the profession in developing buildings that perform as intended – safely, efficiently and sustainably.”