ecbcs building

Future Buildings Forum

Status: Ongoing (1991 - )

Chairman: Dr Markku Virtanen
Email: Markku.Virtanen@vtt.fi

The Aim of the Forum

The Future Buildings Forum has been established to identify long-term energy, environmental, economic, and technological issues, assess their potential effect on future buildings, and encourage research projects on these issues that will help to ensure that buildings contribute to a sustainable society by the year 2025 and beyond. Originally a resource only for the Implementing Agreement on Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBCS), the role and activities of FBF have expanded to take account of the areas of interest of all seven building related IEA Implementing Agreements.

Scope

The Forum is concerned with energy, environmental, economic and technological research affecting buildings, including the effects of social, demographic, natural resource, urban planning, and transportation trends. The FBF also deals with technological advances related to building science and contributes to the definition of future research priorities based on emerging technologies.It operates through a series of workshops at which ideas are formulated and at which new research activities are proposed.

FBF Objectives

To identify and study energy, environmental, economic, and technological issues that will have an effect on buildings and the building industry by the year 2025, and beyond.

  • To identify research priorities and resolve these issues.
  • To present visions, scenarios, opportunities and targets for sustainable development.
  • To monitor and disseminate information on technological advances affecting the state-of-the-future in building technology, in order to positively influence the efficient conception, design, construction, renovation, and operation of buildings.
  • To assist IEA Implementing Agreements in the development of multidisciplinary R&D programmes by providing workshops and other activities on appropriate subjects.

FBF Structure

  • The Future Buildings Forum is conducted under the building related IEA Implementing Agreements under the energy End Use Working Party.
  • The Forum has previously met in a “Think Tank Meeting” in 1990, 1995 and 2001 to identify and collectively agree on the relevant long-term issues to be studied.
  • The FBF workshop programmes were decided on the results of these workshops.
    All participating Implementing Agreements have nominated their contact person for the Forum as a member of the Organizing
    Committee.
  • Executive Committee members of the addressed Implementing Agreements are responsible for contacts to experts and Forum participants within their countries.
  • The Organizing Committee is responsible for Forum policy and management.
  • The Forum is open to any individual or group but participation at some workshops and expert’s meetings may be restricted by invitation. Future Building Forum Think Tanks are held approximately every five years. The purpose of these is the stimulation of multidisciplinary research areas emanating from broad topics relevant to future buildings.

When the Organizing Committee has defined a multidisciplinary research area where more in-formation is needed, a Task Group may be established to carry out the following activities:

  • Organize a workshop with the aim of characterizing the international trends that affect the issue, exploring needed research, and determining whether current research and development projects address the needs sufficiently;
  • Synthesize the output of the initiative as input to IEA Program long-term research and development plans.
  • Taskgroups may be established to work out a detailed proposal on multidisciplinary IEA R&D activity.
  • Task Group leaders are responsible for the organization of the workshops and reporting its results.

Objectives of FBF Workshops

  • To present the State of the Art.
  • To introduce visions, trends and opportunities.
  • To gather frontline experts.
  • To discuss and analyze the relevant topics thoroughly.
  • To identify R&D needs and topics for potential IEA collaborative actions to be applied across IAs or within separate ones.
  • To make recommendations for other actions.

Conducted FBF Workshops 1st Period 1989-1994

  • First Think Tank Workshop. May 16-18, 1989, Switzerland.
  • FBF-2025 Programme Definition Workshop. October 3 - 5, 1990, The Netherlands.
  • Innovative Cooling Techniques. May 4 - 6, 1992, United Kingdom.
  • Innovative Low-Energy Concepts. September 1 - 3, 1992, Finland.
  • Methods for Analyzing the Future of Buildings. June 26 - 28, 1993, Canada.
  • Building Envelopes as Energy Systems. September 13 - 15, 1993, The Netherlands.
  • Efficient Use of Electricity. May 18 - 20, 1994, France.
  • Integration of Advanced Technical Systems. June 15 - 17, 1994, Finland.

Workshop Programme for the 2nd Period 1995-2000

  • Integrated Community Energy Systems, November, ‘95 (Canada)
  • Retrofitting in Commercial and Institutional Buildings ‘97 (Germany)
  • Targets for Sustainability - 1997
  • Low Temp. Heating Systems - 1998
  • Towards Sustainable Buildings - 1998
  • Renovation of Residential Areas - 1999

Workshop Programme for the 3rd Period 2001-2007

  • 3rd Think-Tank Meeting - 2001
  • 4th Think-Tank Meeting - 2007

Publications

Future Sustainable Buildings and Communities
Workshop held 21-22 March 2007, Espoo, Finland
Proceedings, vision and roadmap

Buildings of the 21st Century: Developing Innovative Research Agendas
Workshop held 2001 - Proceedings

Low Temperature Heating Systems
Workshop held 1998

Methods for Analysing the Future of Buildings
An IEA Future Building Forum Workshop, held Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, June 25-28, 1994
Organized by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Ottawa, Canada
Order Printed Copy £10.00

Innovative Cooling Systems
Report of the Future Building Forum Workshop held Solihull, UK, 12-14 May 1992
UK, Oscar Faber Applied Research Ltd, 1992, ISBN 0 946075 69 7
Order Printed Copy £10.00