Ms Lichini Nikesha Kumari WEERASINGHE, Dr Amos DARKO and Prof. Albert CHAN Received Best Paper Award at CIB World Building Congress 2025

Congratulations to Ms Lichini Nikesha Kumari WEERASINGHE, a BRE PhD Student, Dr Amos DARKO, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, and Prof. Albert CHAN, MH, BRE Distinguished Research Professor! They were recognised with the Best Paper Award in the category ‘Net Zero Carbon Building Design and Construction Practices’ at the CIB World Building Congress in May.

The award-winning paper is entitled ‘Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency? Building Occupant Preferences toward Net Zero Carbon Retrofit Measures’. Net zero carbon retrofitting offers a timely solution to reduce carbon emissions from existing buildings, addressing climate change. This study examines the preferences of Hong Kong building occupants regarding NZC retrofits for residential buildings. Data was gathered via a questionnaire survey, analyzed using mean score ranking. Findings reveal that most occupants favor renewable energy upgrades over building envelope and energy system (energy efficiency) improvements. This preference is unexpected, as global NZC standards typically prioritize energy efficiency. The study also delves into occupant preferences for specific retrofit measures within renewable energy and building envelope changes. These insights can aid in developing a zero-carbon built environment, aligning retrofit strategies with occupant preferences.