On Friday, 12 December 2025, we will officially launch the P Block Project at The Cube, P Block, QUT Gardens Point Campus (2 George Street, Brisbane) from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm AEST.
This event marks the beginning of a focused, real-world effort to understand how existing buildings can be retrofitted to meet the proposed indoor air quality standards.
What is the P Block Project?
The P Block Project has a clear, practical objective:
To demonstrate the feasibility of compliance monitoring for indoor air quality (IAQ) and assess the potential for retrofitting existing buildings to meet the proposed IAQ performance standards.
In other words, this project uses a P Block as a real building to test how indoor air quality can be continuously monitored, assessed, and improved in line with evolving expectations for health, comfort, and building performance.
To address this we proposes to retrofit QUT’s Science and Engineering Building (P block) to:
- Comply with the proposed IAQ standards for public spaces.
- Demonstrate this compliance in real time.
- Document the process, costs and benefits of achieving this.
- Analyse the implications for the operationalisation of IAQ standards into regulation and practice.
The goal is not only to understand what is technically possible, but also what is practical, scalable, and economically viable for real buildings already in use.
Why Indoor Air Quality and Retrofitting Matter
Indoor air quality is increasingly recognised as a critical factor in health, cognitive performance, and overall well-being. At the same time, a large proportion of our building stock is existing rather than new.
If future IAQ performance standards become more ambitious—as is widely anticipated—organisations will need clear pathways to upgrade what they already have, rather than relying solely on new builds.
The P Block Project responds directly to this challenge by:
- Evaluating monitoring approaches that can provide reliable, ongoing IAQ compliance data.
- Identifying retrofit strategies that improve IAQ outcomes within the constraints of existing structures and services.
- Demonstrating how data-driven insights can support better decision-making across facilities management, capital works, and sustainability initiatives.
What to Expect at the Launch Event
The launch will provide a clear overview of the P Block Project, why this research is being undertaken, and how the team will carry it out. Attendees will hear presentations from the four research groups involved, each outlining the key issues they are addressing across the What, Why, and How of the project.
These presentations will cover:
- The IAQ compliance monitoring framework is being piloted in P Block.
- The importance of improved indoor air quality and the need for retrofit pathways in existing buildings.
- The methods, sensors, data collection approaches, and evaluation process the teams will use throughout the study.
There will also be time for questions, discussion, and opportunities for collaboration following the presentations.
Event Details
Date: Friday 12 December 2025
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm AEST
Venue: The Cube, P Block, Gardens Point Campus, 2 George Street, Brisbane