Prof. ZHAI Zhiqiang of the University of Colorado Boulder, USA, delivered the 26th PAIR Seminar, titled “Building Environment and Energy: Challenges in Different Scales”, at PolyU on 12 June 2026. The seminar attracted nearly 50 in-person participants and garnered over 17,700 online views across multiple social media platforms, reflecting strong interest from both the public and academia in sustainable building development.
In his presentation, Prof. Zhai highlighted the systemic challenges facing the built environment amid intensifying climate change and rapid urbanisation. He introduced the concept of Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB), developed by the Building Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy. This holistic framework goes beyond the energy performance of individual buildings to incorporate their interactions with the electricity grid, aiming to enhance the overall system’s efficiency, flexibility, and resilience. He explained that GEB can enhance energy performance, facilitate two-way communication, support flexible demand management, and strengthen smart sensing, control and data analytics.
From a spatial perspective, Prof. Zhai examined a series of interconnected challenges spanning four scales, namely micro-scale physical interfaces, meso-scale occupant–building system interactions, macro-scale urban structures, and regional-to-global atmospheric processes. He pointed out that these scales are interrelated: challenges arising at one level may be amplified or intensified at another, underscoring the importance of integrated thinking in architectural and urban design. His analysis emphasised that future building performance cannot be understood from a single perspective, but must be considered within a broader system linking materials, occupants, infrastructure, and climate.
From a temporal perspective, Prof. Zhai further explored how multi-scale issues are shaped by both short-term environmental changes and long-term climate trends. By addressing immediate operational needs alongside long-term climatic shifts, he outlined a forward-looking, comprehensive roadmap for the key challenges facing next-generation smart buildings and cities. His framework highlights the importance of adaptive strategies that enable buildings and cities not only to respond to current demands but also to cope with the uncertainties posed by evolving environmental conditions.
The seminar concluded with a question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. NIU Jianlei, Associate Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Chair Professor of Building Environment. Both in-person and online audiences participated actively, engaging in in-depth and insightful exchanges with Prof. Zhai.
Please click here for an online review.
| Topics | PAIR Seminars |
|---|---|
| Research Units | PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research |
Prof. ZHAI Zhiqiang
Professor
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Dr. ZHAI Zhiqiang (John) is a full Professor and the Program Coordinator of the Architectural Engineering Program in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CUB), and the Site Director of the US NSF Building Energy Smart Technologies (BEST) Center. He has a unique and integrated background in both Architecture and Engineering with a Ph.D. degree in Mechanics (Tsinghua University, 1999) and a Ph.D. degree in Architecture (MIT, 2003). Dr. Zhai’s research and teaching interests and expertise include: integrated building systems; indoor and outdoor environmental quality; sustainable building and urban. Dr. Zhai is the Fulbright US Scholar of the US Department of State and the International Leader Fellow of Royal Society of New Zealand. Dr. Zhai is a Fellow of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), The International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ), and The International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA). Dr. Zhai is a PI/Co-PI for over 70 projects and published over 250 technical papers and was ranked as the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University (2021-2024). Dr. Zhai was a Senior Fellow and Manager at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and a Fellow of The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). He was a Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Hong Kong University, and a Visiting Professor at a dozen of universities such as University of Canterbury, Tohoku University, University of Malaya, Gadjah Mada University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Tianjin University etc. Dr. Zhai has served as Conference Chairs, Advisory/Scientific Committee Members, Track and Session Chairs for many building, energy and environment related conferences and symposiums; and he has delivered over 250 talks globally. Dr. Zhai is an Editor, Guest Editor and Editorial Board Member for a few important journals in the field, such as, Energy and Buildings, Science and Technology for the Built Environment, Sustainable Cities and Society, Building and Environment, Buildings, Building Simulation: An International Journal, and Indoor and Built Environment etc. Dr. Zhai has been serving as Faculty Director of the Architectural Engineering Program and the Executive Committee of CEAE, and the First Level Review Committee for tenure and promotion of the Engineering College at CUB, as well as the Vice President for Academic Affairs (adjunct) at Hebei Geo University (China). He was granted numerous academic and service awards including the most prestigious “Changjiang Scholar” Chair Professorship Award by the Ministry of Education of China (2016), the Distinguished Service Award (2010) and the Distinguished Lectureship (2014/2026) by ASHRAE, and the Gold Award of New Product & Technology (one of the ten) by the 2016 World Internet of Things (IoT) Conference and Exposition (2016). Dr. Zhai was the Invited Participant for the most prominent US Frontiers of Engineering (US FOE) 2010 Symposium and the Invited Organizer (one of the eight) for the 2011 Symposium by National Academy of Engineering of US. Dr. Zhai is an active and renowned consultant for a few companies, such as, Marriot, Carrier, AprilAire, The Wharf, The Clinton Foundation, Red Star Macalline, and The World Bank (IFC) etc. Examples of his consulted projects include the Chicago Botanic Garden, the National Museum of African American History & Culture, and the wharf of Suzhou International Financial Center, etc. Personal website: https://www.colorado.edu/tribalstem/dr-john-zhai
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