Liam O'Brien

Prof. Liam O'Brien is a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University. He holds a B.Eng. in Aerospace from Ryerson, an M.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Toronto, and a Ph.D. in Building Engineering from Concordia. His research focuses on human-building interaction, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation in built environments.

• Academic Background: B.Eng. Aerospace (Ryerson), M.A.Sc. Aerospace Engineering (Toronto), Ph.D. Building Engineering (Concordia)

His work spans occupant-centric building design, smart building systems, fault detection in HVAC, and sustainability impacts of telework. He leads the Human-Building Interaction Lab (HBI Lab) and collaborates with IEA EBC Annex 79. Current projects involve thermal resilience modeling, occupant behavior data analysis, and multi-zone VAV system optimization.

Recent publications highlight applications of data-driven controls, occupant feedback integration, and policy analysis for building energy codes. The lab partners with government departments (PSPC, CRA, TBS) and industry (Delta Controls). He supervises graduate students working on topics such as window design, smart thermostat usability, and solar-assisted district energy systems.

The HBI Lab utilizes advanced facilities including the Canal Building, Health Sciences Building, and CHEeR house. Research incorporates building automation systems, sensor networks, and BIM models to analyze energy use, thermal comfort, daylighting, and urban solar energy access. The lab emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches combining simulation, field studies, and experimental methods.