Charles Culp, associate professor of architecture and associate director of the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University, is one of four international reviewers invited by Finland to evaluate the direction and effectiveness of the country’s Building Services Program. The review covered building performance characteristics and energy efficiency, retrofits, virtual spaces in 4-D, lighting, various heating and cooling systems including current and future technologies, housing technologies and numerous other technology areas in both commercial buildings and residential structures.

The review was funded by the National Technology Agency of Finland (Tekes), the main public funding organization for research and development in Finland. Tekes funds industrial projects as well as projects in research organizations, and especially promotes innovative, risk-intensive projects. It also offers the country’s international partners a gateway to the key technology players in Finland.

The CUBE: Building Services Technology Programme was launched at the beginning of 2002 with the intention of improving the performance of the service content of building services in the property sector, in both residential and non-residential premises. Further aims are to provide up-to-date premises tailored to the needs of users, and added value for property owners on the basis of life-cycle benefits and functional space.

In May, 2006, two representatives from Finland’s Building Services Technology (BST) program visited the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University to investigate technological and educational exchange and colaborative opportunities.

The visitors. Jarmo Heinonen and Markku Virtanen, are responsible for Finland’s “CUBE” initiative, which is aimed at improving the performance, design and energy efficiency of the country’s building services industry.