On 3 November, 2025, the International Forum on Thermal Comfort and the Revision Working Meeting of the National Standard (GB/T 50785), hosted by Chongqing University and co-organized by the National Center for International Research of Low-carbon & Green Buildings, Joint International Research Lab of Green Buildings & Built Environment and School of Civil Engineering was successfully held in Chongqing. This event was also part of “International Week for Science and Technology Standards in Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Attendees included Guoying Wang, Level II Bureau Rank Official of the Department of Standards and Quotas of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Prof. Guiwen Liu, Vice President of Chongqing University, Prof. Bo Yang, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Prof. Qiang Xie, Party Secretary of School of Civil Engineering, Prof. Baizhan Li, Director of the International Joint Research Center and Prof. Runming Yao, Director of the International Joint Lab.
Prof. Doug King, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Prof. David Edwards, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Prof. Bjarne W. Olesen of the Technical University of Denmark, Associate Prof. Simon Hodder of Loughborough University, Prof. Emmanuel Essah, Dean of the School of Construction Engineering and Management at the University of Reading, and Prof. Hongxun Hui of the University of Macau were invited to attend the forum.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Prof. Baizhan Li, chief editor of the national standard GB/T 50785. He began by introducing the attending guests and extended a warm welcome and gratitude to the participating leaders and experts. He then provided a brief overview of the background and objectives of the forum.
Guoying Wang, extended warm congratulations on behalf of the Department of Standards and Quotas of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on the convening of the meeting. In her address, she provided an overview of the national standard "Evaluation Standard for Indoor Thermal Environment in Civil Buildings" (GB/T 50785), emphasized the importance of the standard revision, and put forward new requirements for amending the standard's content. Lastly, she hoped that the drafting team would enhance comparative studies with high-level international standards, deepen international cooperation in standardization, and actively contribute to promoting green, intelligent, and high-quality development in construction, as well as the creation of "quality housing."
Vice President Guiwen Liu of Chongqing University extended a welcome and gratitude to domestic and international experts attending the conference on behalf of the university. He emphasized that Chongqing University has always taken it as its mission to serve the country’s major strategic needs and promote high-quality regional development. The joint hosting of the National Standard Revision Conference and the International Seminar, he noted, will advance the coordinated development of building energy efficiency and healthy living environments. He expressed hope that the participating guests would contribute their insights and suggestions for the innovative revision of the standards, thereby further ensuring the scientific rigor, advancement, and international applicability of the new version. This, in turn, will enhance the standard’s role in guiding and safeguarding progress.
Members of the compilation group for the national standard " Evaluation Standard for Indoor Thermal Environment in Civil Buildings" (GB/T 50785) attending the meeting included: Prof. Hong Liu, Prof. Wei Yu, and Associate Prof. Chenqiu Du from Chongqing University; Prof. Bin Cao from Tsinghua University; Researcher Li Lan from Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Prof. Zhibin Wu from South China University of Technology; Professorate Senior Engineer Changyong Yu, Vice President of Shanghai Landgreen Technology Co., Ltd.; Senior Engineer Jun Li from China Academy of Building Research; and Dr. Jiasen Song from Shenyang Jianzhu University. Additionally, the following individuals attended the meeting online: Professorate Senior Engineer Qingqin Wang, former Deputy General Manager of China Academy of Building Research; Professorate Senior Engineer Yungang Pan, Chief Engineer of China Architecture Design and Research Group; Professorate Senior Engineer Chong Meng from China Academy of Building Research; and Dr. Zhenxing Jin from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology.
The forum was divided into two parts: thematic forum presentations and exchange discussions. More than ten domestic and international experts extensively shared relevant research findings on thermal environment assessment, design, implementation, as well as domestic and international standard regulations and updates. They also explored the forefront trends and practical pathways for the synergistic development of human-centric, healthy, and low-carbon approaches from multiple dimensions.
During the second session of the forum, experts engaged in discussions on the revisions to the national standard "Evaluation Standard for Indoor Thermal Environment in Civil Buildings" (GB/T 50785). They conducted in-depth exchanges and deliberations on topics such as the applicability of the standard's comfort zone, updates to the adaptive thermal comfort model and ranges for free-running buildings, as well as assessment methods tailored to different populations and various indoor scenarios.
