Buildings XVI Conference to focus on building envelope performance
ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, 6 November 2025: ASHRAE said it partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to organise the Buildings XVI Conference said to take place from December 8 to 11, 2025 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Making the announcement through a Press Release, ASHRAE said the Building Conference series is held every three years and is an international forum on building envelope science.
ASHRAE said that at this year’s conference, attendees can expect an in-depth exploration of how building envelope design and performance directly influence energy efficiency, durability, indoor environmental quality and occupant comfort.
André Desjarlais, Conference Chair, Buildings XVI Conference said: “Our technical program highlights advances in materials science, modeling techniques and construction practices that improve thermal resistance and moisture control while supporting decarbonization and resilience goals. We’re emphasising a whole-building perspective, examining how envelope systems interact with mechanical, lighting and ventilation systems to deliver high-performance, low-energy buildings in all climates.”
ASHRAE said the Buildings XVI Conference will feature three programme tracks designed to balance fundamental research with real-world applications: Principles, covering research and development in thermal and moisture performance; Practices, focusing on case studies and field applications; and Residential Buildings, offering practical insights for improving performance and resilience in residential construction.
ASHRAE listed several notable sessions, including Assessing Residential Deep Energy Retrofit Performance Based on Resilience to Future Weather Conditions; Smartphone Application for Visualising Building Air Leakage; Impact of High-Rise Buildings on Wind Driven Rain, Wind and Thermal Comfort; and Scalable Thermal and Resilience Exterior Envelope Strategies for the Manufactured Housing Sector: Results from a Year of Simulated Field Testing.
ASHRAE said two keynote sessions will offer global perspectives on the past, present and future of building envelope science. ASHRAE elaborated that Sam Rashkin, Senior Researcher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will speak on “Charting a Path to Scaling Deep Energy Retrofits and How This Impacts Building Science Research”, while Angela Sasic Kalagasidis, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, will present “A 21-Year Retrospective and an Outlook on Hygrothermal Building Simulation Tools.”
ASHRAE added that pre-conference workshops will also be offered, to provide attendees the opportunity for deeper engagement with emerging research, analytical tools and best practices.