On the morning of July 28, 2025, the 13th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Building and Environment (SuDBE2025) officially commenced at the University of Cambridge, UK.
The conference was jointly organized by Chongqing University and the University of Cambridge, co-hosted by the School of Civil Engineering of Chongqing University, National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon & Green Buildings (MOST), and Joint International Research Lab of Green Buildings & Built Environments (MOE). It was supported by the University of Reading, University College London, the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency (CABEE), the China Green Building Council of CSUS, and the China Academy of Building Research. The conference also received great support from the Administrative Center for China's Agenda 21, the British Consulate-General in Chongqing, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Tsinghua University, and international journals such as Journal of Building Engineering, Building Simulation, and Intelligent Buildings International, as well as Chinese publications including Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning, Journal of Refrigeration, Building Energy Efficiency, and Building Science.
The conference was co-chaired by Professor Baizhan Li from Chongqing University, Professor Alan Short and Professor Ying Jin from the University of Cambridge. The academic committee was led by Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), Professor Tim Broyd at University College London; Professor Doug King, also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Professor Andrew Baldwin, a national high-level overseas talent at Chongqing University and professor at Loughborough University, UK. The conference secretariat comprised Professor Runming Yao and Professor Liu Hong from Chongqing University, Professor Emmanuel Essah from the University of Reading, and Associate Professor Shen Wei from University College London. Over 200 experts and scholars from 10 countries and regions, including China, the UK, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong (China) attended the opening ceremony.
Professor Runming Yao chaired the opening ceremony and introduced the attending leaders and experts, and extended invitations to the co-chair Professor Ying Jin, Deputy Consul General Tim Standbrook from the British Consulate-General in Chongqing, and conference chair Professor Baizhan Li to deliver their welcome speeches.
Professor Ying Jin, Co-chair of the conference from the University of Cambridge, extended a warm welcome to all distinguished guests and experts from home and abroad. He emphasized that this year's SuDBE conference, focusing on cutting-edge topics of built environment and urban sustainable development, is both timely and significant in practical and academic terms. He expressed hope that the conference would facilitate international collaboration and application of green transition and low-carbon technologies, promoting deeper integration between scientific research and practical implementation. In conclusion, Professor Ying Jin wished the 13th SuDBE conference a complete success.
Mr. Tim Standbrook, Deputy Consul General of the British Consulate-General in Chongqing, began by expressing gratitude to the organizers for their invitation and spoke highly of the achievements in green development collaboration between China and the UK, while also sharing his expectations for future cooperation. He stated that the British Consulate-General in Chongqing firmly supports the conference and highly values its significant role in promoting Sino-UK exchanges and cooperation in sustainable development, low-carbon city construction, and related fields. He commended China's determination and accomplishments in green urban transformation and expressed hope for further deepening cooperation with China in sustainable development, particularly in the western regions of the country.
Professor Baizhan Li, chair of the conference from Chongqing University, delivered a welcome speech reviewing the development of the SuDBE conference since 2003. Having been successfully held 13 times across China, the UK, Finland, South Africa and other locations, the conference has been committed to advancing sustainable development in the built environment. He emphasized that since the beginning of this century, China's urbanization has progressed rapidly, and exploring a distinctive Chinese approach to urban development that suits national conditions must focus on enhancing the quality of new urbanization. In this process, promoting green and low-carbon transition has become particularly crucial. The SuDBE conference has facilitated interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchanges in green building technologies and culture, provided students with opportunities to understand global practices, and fostered research collaboration and integration with education. Professor Li expressed hope that this conference would further strengthen international cooperation, promote the translation of research outcomes and interdisciplinary development. He extended special thanks to all experts and participants for their support and contributions to the conference.
Subsequently, keynote speeches were delivered by Professor Alan Short from the University of Cambridge, Professor Bjame W. Olesen from the Technical University of Denmark, Professor Da Yan from Tsinghua University and Professor David Hancock from University College London.
Fourteen distinguished experts were invited to deliver keynote speeches on the first day, including Professor Christopher Pain from Imperial College London, Professor-level Senior Engineer Chong Meng from China Academy of Building Research, Professor Hui Xie from Chongqing University, Professor Sasan Sadrizadeh from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Professor Zhiwen Luo from Cardiff University, Professor Manuel Guedes from Instituto Superior Técnico, Professor Stefan Smith from University of Reading, Associate Professor Ying Xu from Tsinghua University, Professor Jianlin Liu from Donghua University, Associate Professor Chenqiu Du from Chongqing University, Professor Xiaodong Cao from Beihang University, Professor Sukumar Natarajan from University of Bath, Professor Wei Yu from Chongqing University and Professor James O'Donnell from University College Dublin. A total of 35 invited experts presented at the conference.
The conference will focus on eight core topics across eight thematic forums and one Chinese standards revision workshop. During the conference, the organizing committee will arrange technical visits for participants to prominent London sustainable and resilient urban projects.
The International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Building and Environment (SuDBE) was jointly established in 2003 by Chongqing University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Reading and other institutions. To date, thirteen sessions of the conference have been successfully held across China, the UK, Finland and South Africa, attracting over 3,000 participants from nearly 30 countries. It has become a highly regarded premium international academic conference series in the field.
