Pre-seminar Events & Reception 

Date: Tue 6 October 2026

The Northern Finland Construction Cluster will host the traditional Rakentajapäivä from 12:00 to 16:00 at Technopolis (Sepänkatu 20, 90100 Oulu). More information will be available at: https://www.rakennusklusteri.fi/uutiset/categories/tapahtumat

The University of Oulu will organize a workshop titled “Low Carbon Healthy Buildings Design, Operation and Assessment”. The workshop will include presentations on related research and share experiences from development and innovation activities. Ongoing projects, pilot initiatives, and collaboration opportunities between different stakeholders will also be discussed. The workshop can be attended both in person and online, and it will be held in English. A more detailed programme will be announced later.

From 17:00 onwards, participants are welcome to a cocktail reception hosted by the City of Oulu at the City Hall’s main hall. 

Seminar

Date: Wed 7 October 2026

The seminar programme will be finalized closer to the event. The keynote speakers have now been announced.

Keynote lecture: Healthy Buildings and Sustainability

Sani Dimitroulopoulou is a Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist on indoor environments, leading on indoor air quality (IAQ) and health at the UK Health Security Agency. She is also an Honorary Professor at the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, The Bartlett School, UCL. Her research focuses on exposure assessment to air pollution, IAQ modelling and monitoring, ventilation, burden of disease assessments, development of indoor air quality guidelines. 

Dimitroulopoulou works closely with UK government departments and international organisations such as WHO to provide expert advice on indoor air quality and health. She is Chair of UK Indoor Environments Group (UKIEG) and Fellow of ISIAQ Academy (International Academy of Indoor Air Quality and Climate).

At the Building Health Seminar, Dimitroulopoulou will deliver a keynote lecture on the healthy buildings and sustainability. 

Keynote lecture: Health Effects of Moisture Damage

Professor Emeritus Juha Pekkanen retired in 2025 from his positions as Professor of Public Health at the University of Helsinki and Research Professor at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. 

Since the 1990s, his research has focused on the health effects of microbes in agricultural environments and moisture-damaged buildings, as well as respiratory symptoms. He played a key role in developing the Finnish Current Care Guidelines for patients exposed to moisture damage (2017) and in establishing and implementing the Indoor Air and Health Programme 2018–2028. 

Pekkanen has participated in 22 EU-funded multicentre studies. He has co-authored over 500 peer-reviewed publications and supervised 22 doctoral dissertations. 

At the Building Health Seminar, Pekkanen will deliver a keynote lecture on the health effects of moisture damage. 

Dinner

Date: Wed 7 October 2026

Participants will have the opportunity to attend a networking dinner at their own expense (payment will be made during registration).

Excursions 

Date: Thu 8 October 2026

The theme of the excursion day is culturally and historically valuable sites that are part of protected built heritage. Site visits will explore their challenges and opportunities, particularly from the perspectives of indoor air quality and building health. More detailed information on the schedule and destinations will be provided later.