Healthy Buildings 2021 Europe & America

The International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) is delighted to announce the opening of the Call for Abstracts and Workshop Proposals for next summer’s twin conferences Healthy Buildings 2021, to be held in two locations, Europe and America, in June and August respectively, with a shared International Summer School.

Organized approximately every 2 years since 1988, Healthy Buildings conferences bridge the gap between science and profession, aiming to disseminate best-practice sustainable solutions for the indoor environment. Healthy Buildings conferences thus attract not only researchers and students, but also “practitioners” from many professions, including engineers, architects, authorities, real-estate developers/owners, facilities management, occupational hygienists, medical practitioners, manufacturers, and suppliers of building products. 

The American conference, Healthy Buildings 2021 - America, will be a face-to-face conference with virtual content, hosted in a spacious convention centre in Honolulu, Hawaii, and hosted by the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI).

The European conference, Healthy Buildings 2021 - Europe, is planned to cater for either virtual or face-to-face attendance in Oslo, with a social programme that makes maximum benefit of the summer solstice.  Co-organizers are Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), SINTEF Community, and The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and is endorsed by AIVC and REHVA.

Four key innovations in the European conference include:

• The conference will play host to multiple trending topics, including 4 important D’s: Disease (post CoViD19 indoor environments) – urban Dwellings (IAQ, IEQ, climate adaptation) – Digitization (smart controls e.g. demand-control, optimization) –– and Decarbonization (efficient HVAC solutions, emissions, rehab towards EU 2050 and circular economy).
• Double-blind 2-stage peer-reviewed scientific proceedings with a reputed Open Access academic publisher, guaranteeing publishing points by Nordic research councils. In parallel we will publish extended-abstracts and posters for those with little time or experience.
• In addition to the normal scientific programme and workshops, we are introducing new vocational workshops that we call “practice sessions” aimed at providing practitioners with cutting-edge CPD (continued professional development). We expect these to be highly popular.
• Possibility for virtual participation, for those who cannot join face-to-face.

In addition, a varied and social programme is planned, including a civic reception, zero-emission fjord cruise, plusshouse tours, and student events, all providing great networking opportunities. Oslo («European Green Capital 2019») is a beautiful capital with a unique combination of nature and culture.  In these challenging CoViD19 times, we have to be flexible and adapt to the changing situation. Norway is gradually loosening restrictions on travel and large arrangements. However, our contingency plan involves full digitization of the conference, keeping the same dates.