📅 Wednesday 3rd June 2026 | 🕐 13:00–14:00
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Climate change is intensifying indoor heat stress in dairy housing, threatening cow welfare and causing regional milk losses of up to £33.8 million, and putting the UK’s £6.0 billion dairy sector at risk. Despite this growing risk, most existing dairy buildings are not designed for warming climate, and currently no actionable adaptation guidance exists.
This talk presents new research from the UKRI-BBSRC project Dairy Cow Heat Stress Within Building Microclimates (2023–26), using innovative thermal modelling and on-farm data to assess heat-stress risk under current and future heatwaves. In partnership with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and local farmers, the project aims to develop the UK’s first evidence-based, climate-resilient design guidance for dairy buildings.
About the Speakers
Dr. Chunde Liu is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Climate-Resilient Livestock Building Design at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. His research integrates building physics, climate science, and health analysis to enhance the resilience of buildings to extreme weather conditions. He specialises in developing archetype simulation models for both residential and dairy farm buildings, generating high-resolution future weather datasets, and conducting building performance simulations at both individual-building and national scales.
Currently, his research focuses on the co-development of feasible, low-carbon adaptation strategies for livestock housing. To support real-world impact, Dr. Liu and Professor Zhiwen Luo successfully secured an EPSRC Harmonised Impact Acceleration Account (H-IAA) Funding in partnership with the dairy farming community. This work builds on their previous UKRI-BBSRC project, Dairy Cow Heat Stress Within Building Microclimates.
His research supports climate adaptation for both human and animal health and has received international recognition. All of his published outputs submitted to REF 2021 were rated either 3* or 4*. His work has also been recognised through presentations at international conferences, and media coverage by BBC Radio 4 and Mail Online, and policy engagement supporting the UK National Adaptation Programme.
Zhiwen Vincent Luo is the Professor and Chair in Architectural and Urban Science at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Zhiwen’s research focuses on heathy and resilient building design ( Indoor air quality, infectious disease transmission and control in the indoor environment, indoor overheating) and urban climate ( urban heat island, urban air pollution exposure and urban ventilation).