---
title: "Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg delivered closing keynote IAQVEC 2026, Los Angeles; advocates personalized building science over standard occupant model"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-20T18:11:00Z"
source: "https://actu.epfl.ch/news/prof-khovalyg-delivers-closing-keynote-at-iaqvec-2/"
topics:
  - name: "architecture"
    identifier: "medtop:20000032"
  - name: "scientific research"
    identifier: "medtop:20000735"
  - name: "scientific innovation"
    identifier: "medtop:20000736"
  - name: "health"
    identifier: "medtop:07000000"
  - name: "public health"
    identifier: "medtop:20001358"
  - name: "energy saving"
    identifier: "medtop:20000421"
locations:
  - "Los Angeles"
  - "Lausanne"
  - "Tuva"
---


Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg delivered closing keynote IAQVEC 2026, Los Angeles; advocates personalized building science over standard occupant model

Prof. Khovalyg delivers closing keynote at IAQVEC 2026 - EPFL

Prof. Khovalyg delivers closing keynote at IAQVEC 2026

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Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg delivered the closing keynote at IAQVEC 2026 in Los Angeles. Her talk argued that the standardized occupant assumed by current building standards no longer matches what is known about the human body, and proposed a next generation of building science built on personalized sensing, modeling, and control.

The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings ( IAQVEC 2026 ) was held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on May 18-22, 2026. IAQVEC is the premier international conference dedicated to the science and engineering of indoor environments, convening researchers, practitioners, and standards developers working on indoor air quality, thermal comfort, ventilation, and building energy performance.

Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg, head of the Laboratory of Integrated Comfort Engineering (ICE), delivered the closing keynote of the conference on May 22. Her talk, titled "Re defining Energy-Efficient Buildings: Beyond the One-Size-Fits-All Paradigm ", argued that the standardized occupant assumed by current building standards no longer matches what is known about human thermal physiology and adaptation, and called for a next generation of building science built around the individual body rather than an averaged occupant model. A short film from ICE lab fieldwork on human adaptation in Tuva shown during the keynote is available on the Beyond the Comfort Envelope research page.

In addition to the keynote, work by Fariza Sabit, a second-year PhD student in the ICE lab, on modeling the circadian dynamics of human metabolic rate for the built environment was also presented in the technical program.

Source: ICE - Laboratory of Integrated Comfort Engineering

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The 12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings ( IAQVEC 2026 ) was held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on May 18-22, 2026. IAQVEC is the premier international conference dedicated to the science and engineering of indoor environments, convening researchers, practitioners, and standards developers working on indoor air quality, thermal comfort, ventilation, and building energy performance. Prof. Dolaana Khovalyg, head of the Laboratory of Integrated Comfort Engineering (ICE), delivered the closing keynote of the conference on May 22. Her talk, titled "Re defining Energy-Efficient Buildings: Beyond the One-Size-Fits-All Paradigm ", argued that the standardized occupant assumed by current building standards no longer matches what is known about human thermal physiology and adaptation, and called for a next generation of building science built around the individual body rather than an averaged occupant model. A short film from ICE lab fieldwork on human adaptation in Tuva shown during the keynote is available on the Beyond the Comfort Envelope research page. In addition to the keynote, work by Fariza Sabit, a second-year PhD student in the ICE lab, on modeling the circadian dynamics of human metabolic rate for the built environment was also presented in the technical program.