In September 2026, the HumanIC team organised the workshop “Are We Ready for Human-Centric Ventilation in Healthcare Facilities? Bridging Research, Practice, and Implementation” as part of the RoomVent 2026 conference in Prague, Czech Republic. Uniting experts across building physics, control engineering, and health from 9 European institutions, the session critically examined how close the HVAC community is to the large-scale adoption of human-centric ventilation in hospitals, operating rooms, and laboratories.
The workshop featured an interactive, multi-part format designed to connect research outcomes with real-world deployment. Expert presentations and moderated discussions were led by HumanIC Doctoral Candidates Tani Angiero (UC3M) and Denise D’Elia (FIGMH), alongside Risto Kosonen (Aalto), Guangyu Cao (NTNU), Yunus Emre Çetin (NTNU), and industry commentators Kim Hagström (Halton Group) and Peter Höjerback(Avidicare). The sessions addressed key challenges and steps for integration, including:
- current knowledge and evidence regarding ventilation in patient rooms and operating theatres;
- barriers and enablers of integration, including readiness, standardisation, and validation;
- the balance between infection control and energy efficiency;
- method development, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration for real-world deployment;
- the future vision for the human-centric hospital of 2035.
The workshop was a great success, capturing live insights on a collective “Challenge Map” and generating inspiring, open discussions. It provided an excellent opportunity to showcase a strong collaborative presence across our partner institutions and continued to lay the groundwork for more resilient, safer, and healthier healthcare environments. Thank you to everyone who joined us for these valuable exchanges!
Materials presented during the workshop are available on the Future Hospitals website.
