Moving from policy to performance

The conference will showcase approaches for reducing building-related emissions while improving resilience, performance and long-term value.

The program highlights real-world case studies that demonstrate how organisations are advancing decarbonisation across commercial, institutional and public-sector buildings.

2026-27 ASHRAE President Sarah Maston believes retrofitting existing buildings is one of the greatest opportunities we have to create a more resilient and sustainable future.

“This conference embodies our Society theme, Changing the Game: Retrofitting for Resilience, by bringing together the people, ideas and innovations that are helping our industry turn ambitious goals into measurable results,” she says.

The conference will feature two keynote presentations from international leaders in sustainable design:

• Stet Sanborn, Director of Sustainability at SmithGroup, will present Stronger Than the Break: Lessons for Big Impact from the Recovery Room for the Decarbonisation Movement, and explore how collaboration, resilience and innovative thinking can accelerate meaningful climate action.
• Arup Fellow and Global Director of Sustainable Development, Erin McConahey, will challenge attendees to embed whole-life carbon considerations into every stage of the design process in her presentation Design for Carbon: Shifting from Metrics to Mindset/Converting Insight to Impact.

The conference will also feature a keynote panel, Harmonising Policy, Reducing Burden: State Leadership in Coordinated BPS Development, that will bring together leaders from state and local government to examine how Building Performance Standards (BPS) can better align across jurisdictions.

Other highlights in the program include:

• Interactive workshop: Play Your Cards Right: Implementing Strategies to Achieve Energy Savings challenges participants to work in teams to develop energy-saving solutions for a variety of building types through collaborative problem-solving.
• Building the business case for decarbonisation: Sessions examine how owners can align carbon reduction goals with capital planning, navigate evolving regulations and secure investment for long-term resilience.
• Adaptive reuse and embodied carbon: Case studies explore the transformation of an aging office building into a net-zero workplace and manufacturing facility.
• Low-carbon transportation infrastructure: Experts will share the design strategies behind one of the nation’s first all-electric, net-zero energy airport terminals.
• Decarbonisation at portfolio scale: Learn how California is advancing one of the country’s largest public-sector decarbonisation efforts across more than 15,000 buildings.
• Community resilience through net-zero design: Presenters will highlight an innovative community center and health clinic that combines all-electric systems, geothermal technology and community-centered design to support both sustainability and public health.
• AI and mission-critical facilities: As demand for AI and hyperscale data centres accelerates, sessions will examine emerging approaches – including trigeneration, carbon capture and waste heat recovery – that improve efficiency while supporting reliable, lower-carbon operations.

The full program is available to view here, or visit the conference website for more information.

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