Archive

📽️ [Video] Why Editors Reject Papers Despite Positive Reviews

Three reviewers recommend acceptance. The authors celebrate. Then the editor rejects the manuscript. How is that possible? Many researchers assume that positive peer reviews guarantee publication. Two recommendations for acceptance and one for minor revision should be enough, shouldn't they? Peer review is not a democratic vote. Reviewers

[Article] A framework for circular facade design: Systematic review of design strategies and performance indicators

We are designing increasingly energy-efficient building facades. But are we also designing them to last, adapt, and be reused? Over recent decades, facade engineering has focused on improving thermal performance, reducing operational energy demand, and meeting increasingly demanding building regulations. Yet this progress creates an important challenge. High-performance

[Academic Visit] 🇩🇿 Building a Strategic Research Partnership with Mohamed Khider University of Biskra, Algeria

Research collaboration, climate resilience, AI in architectural education, and a new agreement between the University of Liège and Mohamed Khider University of Biskra. On October 28, 2026, I had the pleasure of visiting Mohamed Khider University of Biskra, Algeria, for a full day of scientific seminars, research training, and discussions

🏗️ Open or Closed? What Does a Wall’s Vapor Strategy Change in Building Design?

Two buildings. Two wall strategies. Two fundamentally different approaches to moisture management. Which one performs better over time? When designing a building envelope, one of the most consequential decisions is often invisible: should the wall allow water vapor to diffuse and dry, or should it strongly resist vapor movement? This

[China-Belgium] 55 Years of Diplomatic Relations (1971–2026): Beyond Diplomacy, Toward Genuine Cooperation

The future of Europe–China relations should be built on cooperation, mutual respect, and realism, not fear, suspicion, or outdated geopolitical thinking. As we celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and China, I want to reflect on what this partnership means to me, both professionally and personally. 🇨🇳 Learning

📽️ [Video] How to Become a Journal Editor?

📽️ [Video] How to Become a Journal Editor? You publish papers. You review manuscripts. But how do you become the person who decides what gets published? Becoming a journal editor is an important step in an academic career, but it is not simply a reward for publishing extensively or achieving seniority.

[Article] Urban heat islands, heat waves, and heat stress in Brussels: What field measurements reveal

A city’s temperature does not tell us how heat is experienced across its neighborhoods. And the heat does not necessarily disappear when the sun goes down. Heat waves are often described through a single temperature reported for an entire city. But people experience heat locally: on their street, around

[Special Issue] AI for Climate-Resilient Buildings and Cities

Can AI help us design cooler neighborhoods, reduce building emissions, and make cities more resilient to climate change? These are the questions behind our Special Issue, “Urban Climate Futures: AI and Smart City Solutions,” in Sustainability in Smart Cities. I am pleased to serve as Guest Editor alongside Sheng Liu,

[prEN 18177] Europe Is Standardizing Circular Construction

A significant step forward in European standardization: prEN 18177 is progressing toward a common framework for circular construction. In April 2026, I published “A Message from 2050 to the Circular Construction Sector,” arguing that our greatest mistake was attempting to assess circularity without developing the measurement infrastructure needed to verify

[New Book]: Net Zero Energy Buildings – 2nd Edition

You want to design a net-zero energy building. But how do you know you are making the right decisions? From the first design meeting to the first year of operation, every project brings difficult choices: reducing demand, selecting materials, integrating energy systems, protecting comfort, and verifying results. I wrote

[Special Issue] Land Planning Toward Climate Adaptation: Design and Strategy for Urban Heat Island Mitigation

🔥 How can land planning become a real instrument for reducing urban heat, rather than simply documenting it? As heatwaves intensify, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is increasingly a question of how we plan land, streets, neighborhoods, vegetation, and urban form. Yet many cities still lack integrated planning frameworks that

[Teaching 2026] New academic year and a new place for AI in architectural education

Are we preparing students for the buildings we construct today or for the world in which they will practice tomorrow? The 2026-2027 materials are ready at the University of Liège: updated books, course booklets, technical details, exercises, readings, and case studies for our architecture and building engineering students. They

📽️ [Video] Why Editors Retract Papers ?

A paper passes peer review. It gets published. Researchers begin citing it. Then someone discovers a serious problem. The data do not support the conclusions. An image appears manipulated. Results duplicate another publication. Or the authors discover an honest mistake that undermines their findings. What should an editor do when

[Associate Editor] New Journal of Built Environment and Power Systems (BEPS)

I am pleased to join Built Environment and Power Systems (BEPS) as an Associate Editor and to share the journal’s first Call for Papers. Launched in 2026, BEPS is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal focused on the increasingly important interface between high-performance buildings and modern power

[Article] Establishing industry-based benchmarks for embodied carbon in 85 buildings in China

Measuring embodied carbon is not enough. We need to know when a building is using too much of it. For years, the building sector has become increasingly sophisticated at calculating embodied carbon. But a calculation alone does not tell an architect, engineer, developer, or policymaker whether 250, 300, or 400

[Field Perspective] 🏗️My 2026 AI ranking of predictive methods in architecture and building construction

AI in architecture, engineering, construction, and building simulation is moving incredibly fast. Very fast. A review paper I start today may already be partly outdated by the time it is published. But there is a gap between a method being exciting enough to publish and reliable enough to use on

[Vlog] SHENZHEN 深圳 China’s City of the Future AI • Drones • Robotaxis • Urban Innovation

Shenzhen is not simply a city preparing for the future. It feels like a city already living in it. Drone deliveries cross the sky, robotaxis navigate real traffic, robots are entering everyday spaces, and AI is moving from our screens into devices, vehicles, infrastructure, and the built environment. For me

[Article] Effect of passive energy retrofitting strategies by using Artificial Neural Networks: a case of a hospital building

What if artificial intelligence could evaluate thousands of hospital retrofit combinations in seconds instead of requiring more than a year of building simulations? Hospitals are among the most energy-intensive buildings. They operate continuously, accommodate diverse medical functions, use large quantities of equipment, and must maintain strict indoor environmental conditions.

[Special Issue] Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Thermal Comfort

🌿 Can nature-based solutions deliver measurable thermal comfort improvements in real buildings and cities under real climate stress? We often assume that green roofs, living walls, urban trees, and blue-green infrastructure make cities cooler and more resilient. But how strong is the evidence? Do we have long-term observations,

[Vlog] Tsinghua SIGS & SUSTech Academic Visit in Shenzhen 深圳

Shenzhen 深圳 is often described through technology, entrepreneurship, and extraordinary urban growth. During this academic visit, I had the opportunity to experience another side of the city: its rapidly developing ecosystem of universities, research institutes, and international academic collaboration. My visit brought me to two important institutions: Tsinghua Shenzhen International

[Eyes on China] The AI boom is a building physics problem

What struck me while examining China’s AI infrastructure is that this is no longer simply a computing story. It is a building physics and territorial planning story. By 2025, AI accounted for approximately 79% of China’s computing capacity. General CPU-based computing has nearly plateaued, while GPU-based

[Conference] 🏙️ AI + Building Simulation Conference Hong Kong 2026

How is artificial intelligence actually transforming buildings and cities? At Building Simulation 2026 (BAS 2026) in Hong Kong, hosted at HKUST, I spent three days looking beyond the AI hype to understand how these methods are actually being applied in building science, energy systems, and climate-neutral cities. The conference

📽️ [Video] How Editors Find Reviewers: The Hidden Crisis Behind Peer Review

Finding reviewers used to sound straightforward: identify two or three experts, invite them, and wait for their reports. Today, it has become one of the hardest parts of an editor’s job. After reviewing more than 450 scientific manuscripts and handling editorial decisions across several international journals, I see three

[Article] Human Interaction with Urban Morphology under the Influence of Urban Heat Island: A Systematic Review

What if one of the most powerful tools for protecting people from extreme heat is already embedded in the shape of our streets? Urban heat is not determined by temperature alone. It is also shaped by the height and spacing of buildings, street orientation, access to shade, surface materials, vegetation,

[Eye on China] The Lab Spending Gap: China Outspends Europe on Labs by 70 Percent

According to the OECD's March 2026 figures, China's R&D expenditure reached approximately €890 billion in 2024, surpassing the United States at €873 billion, while the EU-27 stood at only about €527 billion. China overtook Europe more than a decade ago. What is new

[Special Issue] Advancing Urban Air Quality, Green Spaces, and Microclimate Science

📢 NEW DEADLINE | More time to contribute! 🌍 How can we make our cities cooler, healthier, and more resilient? We are pleased to announce that the submission deadline for our Atmosphere Special Issue has been extended to 31 October 2026: 🌿 Urban Air Quality, Green Spaces, and Microclimate Analysis If you are working

[Webinar NL] Comfort voorbij de norm: hoe menselijk gedrag gebouwsimulatie en energiegebruik

We ontwerpen steeds efficiëntere gebouwen. Maar zelfs het beste simulatiemodel bevat een bijzonder moeilijk voorspelbare parameter: de gebruiker. Hoe warm willen mensen het werkelijk hebben? Wanneer passen ze hun kleding aan? Wanneer veranderen ze het setpoint? En hoeveel energie kunnen we besparen door niet alleen het gebouw, maar ook adaptatie

[Examiner] Dr. Iliassou Salou Nouhoun at Institut 2iE in Burkina Faso

Last June, I had the privilege of serving as an examiner for the PhD defense of Dr. Iliassou Salou Nouhoun at Institut 2iE in Burkina Faso. I came away from the defense thinking about a question that matters far beyond Burkina Faso: What if Europe has something important to learn

[Teaching] 🏗️ Building Technology Under Carbon Constraints: Fall Semester 2026

A new semester is approaching, and I have been reworking our Building Technology teaching material at ULiège around a question that is becoming impossible to avoid: How should we teach construction when carbon becomes a design constraint? The figure summarizes part of the shift. Two houses can provide essentially the

[Article] Tourism-related short-term migration for heat adaptation

What if, during the next extreme heatwave, staying in the city is no longer the safest option? We usually think about heat adaptation as something we do to cities: plant trees, add shade, create cooling centers, redesign streets, improve buildings, or install air conditioning. But people adapt too. Sometimes, they

[Vlog] Xi'an 西安: Visit China's Ancient Capital and the Terracotta Army

Some cities show you modern China. Xi'an helps you understand how China became China. Before Beijing became the political capital and Shanghai emerged as a global economic center, there was Chang'an, today's Xi'an. For centuries, it was one of the great capitals

[Vlog] China Hacks: How to survive in China

Living in China can be surprisingly easy. But first, you need to figure out how everything works. After spending more than three months in China as a professor while learning Chinese, I discovered that my biggest challenges were often not academic, professional, or even linguistic. They were surprisingly ordinary. How

📽️ [Video] Editor's Desk Rejects

I have spent the past decade working on both sides of scientific publishing, as an author, reviewer, and journal editor. During that time, I have reviewed more than 450 scientific manuscripts and handled editorial decisions across several international journals. Sitting in the editor's chair fundamentally changed how I

[Article] Machine Learning-Driven Mapping of Heatwave Health Risks Across Local Climate Zones in a Mediterranean Context

What if the greatest heat risk in our cities isn't simply where temperatures are highest... but where heat, urban form, and human vulnerability intersect? For years, urban heat studies have focused primarily on mapping temperatures. Yet extreme heat becomes a public health crisis only when high temperatures overlap

[Eye on China] China Has Already Overtaken Europe in Science. Why Is Nobody Saying It?

China isn't catching up to European science. It's already lapped Europe in most of the race, and few in Europe are saying so out loud. I've visited China seven times in the last three years. I've walked through labs there that didn&

[COST Action HELEN] Holistic design of taller timber buildings

The Future of Timber Buildings Will Not Be Decided by Timber Most discussions about timber buildings focus on one question. Can we build taller? After four years in COST Action HELEN (CA20139), I believe we have been asking the wrong question. The real challenge is not height. The real challenge

[YouTube] 16 Years of Sharing Knowledge: Nearly 2 Million Views and a Global Learning Community

16 years ago, I uploaded my first video to YouTube. I never imagined that a small educational initiative would grow into a global learning resource for students, researchers, and academics around the world. Today, I am grateful to celebrate this journey: 🎥 1.95 million views ⏱️ 225,600 hours of watch

[Article] The Impact of Soundscape on Pedestrian Comfort, Perception, and Walking Experience in Béjaïa, Algeria

What if the problem with our cities isn't noise... but the sounds we've chosen to keep? For decades, urban acoustics has focused on one objective: reducing noise. But a growing body of research suggests that this is the wrong question. People do not experience cities in

[Vlog] Nanjing: To Understand Modern China, Start with Its Former Capital

If Beijing represents China's political present and Shanghai its economic future, Nanjing represents its historical soul. For nearly two millennia, Nanjing served as the capital of China during multiple periods, including six major dynasties and later the capital of the Republic of China. Few cities have shaped the

[Vlog] Visit to Southeast University 东南大学 in Nanjing 南京

I had the privilege of visiting Southeast University 东南大学 in Nanjing 南京, one of China's oldest and most influential universities in architecture, planning, and engineering. Founded in 1902, Southeast University has played a central role in shaping modern architectural education in China, combining international architectural foundations with a

📽️ [Video] Editor's Roles: What Journal Editors Really Do Behind the Scenes

I have spent the past decade on both sides of scientific publishing, as an author, reviewer, and editor, reviewing more than 450 manuscripts and making editorial decisions across several international journals. That experience changed the way I think about research. Many of the things researchers believe about publishing, visibility, citations,

[Article] Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System-based Prediction of Heating and Cooling Loads in Residential Buildings

One of the greatest challenges in sustainable building design is making informed decisions during the earliest design stages, when architects have limited information but the greatest opportunity to influence future energy performance. Our latest publication introduces an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) that accurately predicts residential building heating and

[PhD Defense] 🎓 Dr. Dyna ZITOUNI at ULiège & Université Mohamed Khider

On July 1, 2026, Dr. Dyna Chourouk Zitouni successfully defended her PhD at the University of Liège. "Integrating Thermal Comfort and Heat Health Risk Assessment: Towards Adaptive Strategies for Mitigating Future Heat Wave Impacts." As Europe experiences increasingly severe heatwaves and North African cities continue to warm rapidly,

[Heat Wave 2026] Cooling Ladder 2.0: It's Time to Cool Cities Before Buildings

The recent European heat wave should force Belgium to ask a harder question: Are our buildings and cities designed to protect people from heat, or only to pass a calculation? Last week, I gave five interviews to news outlets across Wallonia. Most questions focused on the Belgian EPBD overheating indicator:

[New Book] Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings

One of the most comprehensive references ever published on tall timber buildings is now available as an open-access book: 📖 Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings https://lnkd.in/ehVHk5a5 This publication is not simply another edited volume. It is the final scientific outcome of COST Action HELEN (CA20139), a

[IEA EBC Annex 89] Net-Zero Whole-Life Carbon Buildings, 6th Expert Meeting (Prague)

[IEA EBC Annex 89] Net-Zero Whole-Life Carbon Buildings, 6th Expert Meeting (Prague) On June 28-29, the SBD Lab at the University of Liège, represented by Aurora Bertini, participated in the 6th Expert Meeting of IEA EBC Annex 89 – Ways to Implement Net-Zero Whole-Life Carbon Buildings,

[Article] Adaptive Thermal Comfort Assessment in Residential Buildings Under Current and Future Mediterranean Climate Scenario

As climate change accelerates across the Mediterranean basin, one of the most important questions facing building scientists, architects, and policymakers is not only how much warmer buildings will become, but how occupants will adapt to these changes. Our latest study addresses this question through field investigations, occupant surveys, building performance

[Vlog] 2025 - 5th International Urban Climate & Urban Design Conference in Chongqing, China

Many colleagues reached out asking about the conference and my experience from the previous edition. So, here it is: my vlog from the 5th International Urban Climate & Urban Design Conference in Chongqing, China. This conference is much more than a series of presentations. It is a unique platform where

🏆 Outstanding Presentation Award | 6th International Symposium on Urban Climate and Urban Design | Xi'an, China

I was honored to receive the Outstanding Presentation Award at the 6th International Symposium on Urban Climate and Urban Design in Xi'an, China, among nine selected presentations (17.05.2026). While the award is deeply appreciated, what makes it particularly meaningful is the community behind it. This was

📽️ [Video] You Got Published: Now What?

Your paper is accepted. That is a major milestone. But publication is not the end. It is the beginning of your paper's life. I have served as an editor, reviewer, and author for over a decade. One pattern repeats constantly: most researchers celebrate acceptance, file the paper away,

[Article] Are Net Zero Energy Buildings Really Net Zero Carbon Buildings?

For nearly two decades, the building industry has pursued a simple objective: Reduce annual energy demand. Produce renewable energy onsite. Achieve Net Zero Energy. But what if annual net-zero energy does not mean annual net-zero carbon? In our recent paper published in Building and Environment, we tested a

📢 Rencontre Alumni Ingénieur Architecte – ULiège, 24 juin 2026 - 🕠 17h30 – 20h00

Le programme Ingénieur Architecte de l’ULiège entre dans une phase importante de réflexion et d’évolution. Dans un contexte de transformation rapide des pratiques, notamment avec l’intégration de l’intelligence artificielle, les retours des diplômé·e·s deviennent essentiels. Nous invitons donc les alumni à une rencontre dédiée

📸 To the Department of Architecture at Fine Arts Cairo | Returning to Thank the Professors Who Formed Us

This photo was taken in 2013, when I returned to the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in Cairo after completing my PhD abroad. I came back for a simple reason: to thank the professors who shaped us. Looking at this image today reminds me

[Vlog] Tianjin – China’s Northern Gateway Between Memory, Industry, and Modern Power

Some cities impress you visually. Tianjin confronts you intellectually. I stayed there for three days. I walked through the city center, the Haihe River waterfront, the old town, industrial districts, colonial concessions, museums, and transport infrastructure. Slowly, Tianjin revealed itself not simply as another Chinese megacity, but as a place

[Article] Evaluating Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies through Coupled UHI and Building Energy Modeling

Urban Heat Island (UHI) mitigation is often discussed through isolated interventions: more trees, cool roofs, reflective pavements, or green infrastructure. But cities do not operate as isolated objects. Buildings, streets, materials, vegetation, mobility systems, and atmospheric conditions continuously interact through coupled energy and climate processes. That is why one of

[PhD Defense] 🎓 Dr. Muheeb Al-Obaidy at ULiège

On May 15, 2025, Muheeb Al-Obaidy successfully defended his PhD at ULiège: “A Circularity Evaluation Framework for Newly Constructed Office Building Design” 👉 ”.The PhD is part of a larger project, DeConstruct, 2020-2024, A circularity evaluation framework for office building design: https://lnkd.in/dhkXJiSi This research addresses one

📽️ [Video] How to Review a Scientific Paper (Step-by-Step Guide for Researchers)

Most researchers are trained to write papers. Very few are formally trained to review them. Yet peer review is one of the most influential mechanisms in academia. A weak review can delay good science. A superficial review can allow poor science to pass. And an unprofessional review can discourage early-

[Vlog] Visit to Nankai University in Tianjin – 南开大学

I had the privilege of visiting Nankai University in Tianjin, one of China's founding research universities and, increasingly, one of its most important hubs for sustainability systems science. The occasion was a seminar on zero-carbon buildings under urban heat stress: how urban microclimate redefines decarbonization pathways and

[Article] Climate-driven transformations: A framework for the sustainable urban landscape system to enhance heat resilience.

Urban heat is no longer just a comfort problem. It is a systems failure problem, and our landscape frameworks have not caught up. Heat waves are intensifying in frequency, duration, and geographic reach. The Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean, and South Asian cities already record sustained periods above 45°C.

[IEA EBC Annex 97] Sustainable Cooling in Cities, 1st Meeting (Madrid)

Last week, the SBD Lab at the University of Liège participated in the first Expert Meeting of IEA EBC Annex 97 – Sustainable Cooling in Cities (April 23–24, Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja & Universidad de Navarra, Madrid), joining an international community of researchers, engineers, and policymakers

[Speaker] Cities on the Frontline: The Built Environment and the Adaptation Implementation Deficit in the EMME Region

Nicosia, Cyprus — EMME Climate Action Conference, 8 April 2026 Two weeks ago, at the Climate Action in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Conference, organized under the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, I spoke in Panel 5 alongside four outstanding colleagues. Prof. Matthaios Santamouris convened the session,

[Circularity Today] A message from 2050 to the Circular Construction Sector

The mistake now in 2050 looks obvious. We tried to evaluate circularity before building the measurement infrastructure that makes evaluation possible. For years, the sector debated frameworks, certifications, taxonomies, and circularity scores while ignoring a more fundamental question: How can you measure circularity if you are not continuously observing what

[Article] Rice husk ash reduces the damage rate of compressed earth blocks

Most research on earthen construction still faces the same structural limitations: insufficient mechanical strength, brittle failure behavior, dependence on cement stabilization, and a persistent gap between laboratory validation and real-world housing deployment. At the same time, the discussion on low-carbon materials often remains qualitative, without clear benchmarks. A

[Vlog] Shanghai – China’s Real Melting Pot

I've lived my life near the water. Near ports. Near the quiet, massive machinery of global trade: Suez, Rotterdam. Liège. Each of those cities shaped how I see the world: the cranes, the containers, and the constant movement of goods from one side of the earth to the

[PhD Defense] 🎓Dr. Guirec Ruellan at ULiège

On March 31, 2026, Guirec Ruellan successfully defended his PhD at ULiège: “Energy Renovation of the Walloon Residential Building Stock: Determinants and Integrated Approaches” 👉 https://hdl.handle.net/2268/337211 This work addresses a question that remains central to the energy transition: Why is large-scale residential renovation still not

Visit to Tongji University in Shanghai – 同济大学

Prof. Zengfeng Zhao invited me to Tongji University. What I observed there reflects a different positioning of research. At Tongji, real projects and urban conditions closely connect research, testing findings against practical constraints rather than idealized assumptions. Within the School of Civil Engineering, this approach creates a continuous interaction between

📽️ [Video] How to Handle Reviewer Comments Strategically

Most researchers are trained to write papers. Very few are trained to respond to reviewers. After months of work, your manuscript comes back with pages of comments. Some are insightful. Others are contradictory, vague, or simply wrong. Here is the uncomfortable reality of peer review today: 👉 Not all reviewer comments

[Article] Hygrothermal Behavior of Energy Diaphragm Walls and Their Interaction with Adjacent Underground Space

Designing underground structures with ground-source heat pumps requires more than thermal modeling; moisture matters too. In our paper published in Underground Space (Elsevier/KeAi), we investigate the coupled heat and moisture transfer in energy diaphragm walls (EDW) and their impact on the hygrothermal conditions of adjacent underground spaces. 📌 Citation:

🎓 Recognizing the mentors who shaped my PhD journey

🎓 Recognizing the mentors who shaped my PhD journey Behind every PhD, some people define not only the research but also the way you think, question, and position yourself in academia. Today, I want to acknowledge three professors who played a defining role in my doctoral journey: 🥇 Prof. André de Herde

[Lecture] Zero Carbon Heating & Cooling: Why China and Europe Cannot Share the Same Roadmap

Decarbonizing heating and cooling is the most underestimated challenge in the built environment transition. Not because the technology is missing. Because the context is invisible to most policymakers and designers. Last November in Chengdu, at the International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling, I presented a comparative analysis of zero-

[Teaching] Brick to Timber: A Structural Shift in Building Technology Education at ULiège

We just made a structural shift in how we teach building technology in Belgium. And it changes everything. In 2025, for the first time in our Building Technology course at ULiège, we reversed a century-old logic: 👉 Timber construction is no longer “alternative”, it is now the primary system we

[Circularity Week] Most circular strategies fail at the design stage; here's what the research shows

Circularity isn't failing because of technology. It's failing because of how we define value. Everyone talks about the circular economy. Very few are confronting its real constraints. After years of research, standards work, and built environment practice, here is what the data shows: What's

[Vlog] CHINA’S MOUNTAIN MEGACITY | Chongqing Night Cityscape

🌏 Chongqing, where mountains, rivers, and skyscrapers collide. Chongqing is one of the most extraordinary cities in the world. Located in southwestern China at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, this megacity has more than 30 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area. It is one of China’

[Article] Refining climate zoning in North Africa: A 30-Year analysis of heating and cooling degree days for energy planning and adaptation

Energy planning in hot and rapidly warming regions cannot rely on outdated climate maps. In our new paper published in Energy and Buildings, we present one of the most comprehensive climate zoning analyses for North Africa, based on 30 years of meteorological data and degree-day analysis across the region.

📽️ [Video] How to Deal with Manuscript Rejection

Most PhD students and early-career researchers experience it sooner or later. A carefully written manuscript. Months of work. And then the email arrives: “We regret to inform you…” Here is the uncomfortable reality of academic publishing: 👉 In many leading journals, rejection rates exceed 80%. 👉 A large share of manuscripts

[Vlog] Visit to Chongqing University in Chongqing – 重庆大学

China’s research ecosystem is not simply expanding. It is reorganizing how architecture, urban climate research, and building energy systems are studied at the metropolitan scale. I experienced this directly during my visit to Chongqing University, where I worked with colleagues from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning on

[Article] Performance-efficient compressed earth blocks from industrial and agro-industrial by-products

The future of sustainable construction may not be high-tech ! It may be a high-intelligence earth. In our review published in @Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, we provide one of the most comprehensive roadmaps to date for developing performance-efficient compressed earth blocks (CEBs) using industrial and agro-industrial

[Manifesto] Why the Built Environment Is the Biggest Climate Blind Spot of Our Time

Let me state something uncomfortable. We are not failing because we lack technology. We are failing because we are measuring the wrong things. THE SHOCKING FACT The built environment emits 12.5–13 gigatons of CO₂ every year. That is 34% of global energy-related emissions. If buildings were a

📘 [Article] Bioclimatic design recommendations for novel cluster analysis–based mapping for humid climates with altitudinal gradient variations

Colombia is not just “hot and humid.” It is a country of microclimates shaped by altitude, humidity, and solar exposure. A new study analyzed 69,874 satellite-based climate records at 4 km resolution using updated TMY 2021 data. The result? 🔎 8 statistically validated bioclimatic clusters. 🌎 A high-resolution national

[Studiedag] Binnenisolatie in bestaande gebouwen: risico’s en oplossingen via simulaties en metingen

🎉 25 jaar IBPSA-NVL – Vier mee tijdens een unieke studiedag 📅 Dinsdag 10 maart 2026 📍 KAVA Congrescentrum, Antwerpen Nu inschrijven: https://forms.pixii.be/studiedag-ibpsa-nvl-2026?ref=pixii.be Op één dag ontdek je de nieuwste onderzoeksresultaten rond vorstschade en schimmelvorming bij binnenisolatie. Toonaangevende experten delen hun inzichten, confronteren

🐎🌏 Happy Year of the Horse - my personal message from China

This is the year of China at the Sustainable Building Design Lab at Liege University in Belgium. Having visited China more than seven times since 2023, I have had the privilege to experience the country not as an abstract headline, but as a living, working, thinking civilization. From Wuhan to

[Vlog] CHINA'S WATERFRONTS CITY | Wuhan and the Botanical Gardens

🌏 Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province — where the Yangtze River meets the Han River Wuhan is not just a city. It is the political and economic capital of Hubei Province, strategically located at the confluence of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and the Han River. With more than 13 million inhabitants,

📽️ [Video] Selecting Reviewers: What Really Happens After You Click “Submit”

Most early-career researchers think reviewer selection is a minor administrative step. It is not. In today’s publishing system, reviewer scarcity, overloaded editors, and declining review invitations have quietly changed how manuscripts are evaluated. Yet almost no one explains this to PhD students and postdocs. Here is a fact

Visit to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan - 华中科技大学

China is no longer a “future player” in architecture, civil engineering, and energy systems. It is already shaping how zero-carbon buildings, urban energy systems, and climate-responsive design are developed, tested, and deployed at scale. I was reminded of this during my academic visit to Huazhong University of Science

[Article] Multi-criteria decision support framework for climate change-sensitive thermal comfort evaluation in European buildings

Most building comfort assessments still answer yesterday’s question: Is this building comfortable today? But heat waves, climate drift, and extreme years demand a different one: 👉 Will this building remain habitable under future climate stress? Our recent paper in Energy & Buildings introduces a multi-criteria decision support framework designed

[Vlog] Learning Mandarin Chinese - Level 1 (HSK01)

What started with HSK Level 1 in Liège, followed by online courses with the Confucius Institute in Cairo, quickly became something deeper. Learning Chinese now allows me to follow WeChat groups in architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and urban engineering, giving me direct access to technical discussions, project calls, and

[New Book]: Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB): Concepts, Frameworks, and Roadmap for Project Analysis and Implementation – 2nd Edition

I am very pleased to announce the publication of the second edition of my book with Elsevier (September 2025). This updated volume builds on the foundation of the first edition, taking a significant step forward in addressing the carbon challenges of today’s built environment. Over the last decade, the

[Vlog]🐼 CHINA’S PANDA PARADISE | Chengdu Must-Visit Destinations

When travelers talk about China, they usually mention Beijing or Shanghai. But many who visit Chengdu end up saying the same thing: this is the city they would actually live in. Welcome to China’s Panda City and one of the most livable large cities in Asia. 🎥 CHINA’S PANDA

[Article] Simulation of Long-Term (1981–2100) Evolution of Heat Waves in Brussels Based on the MAR Regional Model.

🌡️ Heat waves in Brussels are changing faster than we think. I am pleased to share a peer-reviewed study analyzing how heat waves in Brussels may evolve from 1981 to 2100, based on high-resolution regional climate modeling. Timmermans, G., Doutreloup, S., Fettweis, X., & Attia, S. (2024). Simulation of

Reviewers & Editors: Roles and Responsibilities | New Video Series

Academic publishing is not only about writing good papers. It is about understanding a system that filters, selects, rejects, and shapes more than 2.5 million peer-reviewed articles every year, with rejection rates above 90% in top-tier journals. Today, I am launching a new video playlist: Reviewers &

[Article] Evaluating Thermal Performance and Environmental Impact of Compressed Earth Blocks with Cocos and Canarium Aggregates

Low-carbon housing starts with materials, climate, and evidence. What if affordable housing in hot and humid climates could reduce carbon emissions, improve comfort, and reduce energy demand by using locally available materials? This peer-reviewed study addresses that question using measured data, calibrated simulations, and life-cycle assessment, with

Visit to Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu 西南交通大学

China has become a major hub for engineering education and applied research, but engaging successfully requires a clear understanding of academic culture, research organization, and collaboration practices. In this vlog, I document my academic visit to Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in Chengdu and share practical insights for those who are:

[Eye on China] Educating Engineers at Scale: Why Collaboration with China Now Matters

Innovation today is defined by how effectively knowledge moves from education to experimentation to deployment. Over the past 25 years, China has built one of the world’s most continuous and scalable engineering education systems, with direct consequences for global innovation capacity. China now produces approximately 1.5 million engineering

Palestine 2025: From the River to the Sea | From Liège: L’Espoir, c’est la lutte

If you want to understand the moral, political, and ecological bankruptcy of Europe in 2025, look at Palestine. 1.Why Palestine will be decolonized. Decolonization becomes inevitable because Israel can no longer secure legitimacy, stability, or consent and must rely primarily on coercion. The more governance shifts from political legitimacy

[Video] Open Access & Author Rights

To be able to disseminate knowledge in open access format you will need to learn about your rights as an author and your data ownership status. When we publish an article we sign an agreement with the publisher to copyright the form of the final manuscript. When you publish an

🎓 Congratulations to Dr. Hicham Fawzi Arrar!

As Hicham Fawzi Arrar completes his PhD and moves forward to new opportunities, I want to express my admiration for his exceptional work, professionalism, and perseverance. The PhD defense of Hicham Fawzi Arrar took place this year on Monday, 23 June 2025 at 10:00, at the Institut d’Architecture,

Best wishes for a meaningful Holiday Season and a grounded start to 2026

On behalf of the Sustainable Building Design Lab, thank you for being with us. Over the past year, the SBD Lab at the School of Engineering, University of Liège, maintained strong international engagement despite increasingly unstable global conditions. We actively contributed to IEA EBC Annex 89 on net-zero whole-

📘 Publication: Night Ventilation Under Heat Waves in Office Buildings

Buildings continue to struggle during heat waves, while cities experience hotter nights and reduced cooling capacity. This study evaluates whether night ventilation can truly mitigate overheating during extreme heat events. The article, published in the Journal of Building Engineering, combines measured urban and rural climate data with calibrated building energy

[Special Issue Call] Advancing Urban Air Quality, Green Spaces, and Microclimate Science

The new Special Issue Urban Air Quality, Green Spaces, and Microclimate Analysis, edited by Dr. Mariella Aquilino and Prof. Dr. Shady Attia, is now open in Atmosphere.Cities are facing unprecedented challenges related to extreme heat, air quality degradation, and microclimate instability. This Special Issue focuses on rigorous, evidence-based

[New Video] Structured Scientific Writing

📽️ Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eRdkuXqMvo Producing a high-quality scientific manuscript requires more than solid research results. Across journals, editorial boards consistently observe the same issue: strong studies lose impact when the narrative is unclear, the structure is inconsistent, or key arguments are hidden in unorganized