BIO

Professor Vivien L. Lu is a distinguished researcher in the fields of renewable energy and building energy engineering, and has authored six books/handbook chapters and over 320 SCI journal papers. Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in Engineering by Clarivate Analytics and ranked among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in Energy by Stanford University, Professor Lu has been invited to present more than 70 plenary/keynote speeches and public seminars on an international and local scale. Her research interests span a variety of cutting-edge topics, such as strategically exploiting renewables, developing nanomaterial solutions for urban skins and advancing building energy efficiency. Professor Lu's contributions to the field have been acknowledged through numerous prestigious awards, including Gold Medals at the Geneva Inventions (2016; 2024), the Second-Class Innovation Award from the Ministry of Education of China (2019), 2017 Hong Kong Green Innovations Award, and US TechConnect 2017 Global Innovation Award, among others. In addition to her research achievements, Professor Lu plays a pivotal role in the academic and professional community. She leads the Energy Institute's Hong Kong Branch as Chairwoman and serves as Vice President of the Solar Energy Society of Hong Kong. Her editorial expertise is widely recognized, as she holds positions such as Section Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, and Guest Editor, and is a member of the editorial boards for several preeminent journals in the energy sector.

ABSTRACT

In the natural world, there are numerous "master builders" that inspire us to employ passive design in creating energy-efficient and sustainable buildings and cities. For example, the ventilation and thermal regulation mechanisms of termite mounds in Zimbabwe, the passive cooling effect brought about by the unique hair structure on the heads of silver ants in the Sahara Desert, and the ability of beetles in the Namib Desert to harvest water from the air, all provide us with valuable inspiration for engineering application. Through this lecture, we will explore the working principles of these nature "architects" and discuss their application strategies in architectural design, with a focus on advancing towards a low-carbon community.