More than 600 delegates from around the world attended Building Simulation 2025.
The event was held alongside ARBSQLD from August 24 – 27, 2025 and was jointly co-hosted by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning & Heating (AIRAH) and the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA).
AIRAH conference & events manager, Marie Karekla, said it was one of the biggest events the Australian built environment sector has ever seen. It featured more than 400 speakers across nine rooms.
“The strong turnout reflects the growing momentum and global commitment to advancing building performance simulation,” Karekla said.
Researchers attended from South Korea, China, Japan, Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, the USA, Canada, Slovakia, Poland, India, and of course Australia.
Presenters ranged from senior engineers, academics, and practitioners to PhD students working on the next generation of high-end performance technology. They were united by their passions for using simulation technology to improve outcomes in the built environment.
“The conference featured strong technical content, especially around net zero design, urban-scale modelling, and integrated workflows,” Karekla said.
University of Melbourne Professor Zoltan Nagy, delivered the opening keynote on day one. He talked about how occupant-centric approaches can improve energy performance while maintaining comfort, how coordinated building portfolios enable substantial demand response, and how bottom-up city-scale modelling can reveal critical climate policy trade-offs that are invisible at building level.
Catalyst director PC Thomas talked about the history and development of Australia’s NABERS rating scheme for commercial buildings.
He said the growth of NABERS over the past 25 years has allowed Australia to make real, measured improvements in the operational performance of its building stock.
He was followed by Pieter de Wilde from Sweden’s Lund University explaining how AI is impacting building simulation, with a specific focus on machine learning, large language models and digital twins.
Other local speakers included Camfil’s sustainability and efficiency expert, Philipp Schluter.
He talked about how simulation can be used to model life-cycle costs for HVAC filtration systems.
Schluter pointed out that few existing energy-use models take air filtration into account when modelling energy performance.
He said a more comprehensive modelling framework would help building owners and managers make more informed decisions about filter selection.
Another highlight at the conference was the launch of IBPSA’s new women’s network which is a global initiative designed to support, connect, and elevate women in the building performance simulation (BPS) community.
The network’s mission is to foster an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives, drives collaboration, and supports the professional development of women working in or entering the BPS field.
The launch also featured a panel discussion with participants sharing their experiences, insights, and ideas for fostering a more inclusive industry.
Discussion covered success stories, challenges faced by women in the field and the value of mentorship and support networks.
