Matthaios Santamouris is Distinguished Professor of High-Performance Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at UNSW Sydney. He previously held a professorship at the University of Athens, Greece, and has served as Visiting Professor at 12 institutions worldwide.

He is the former President of the National Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Savings in Greece. Editor-in-Chief of Energy and Buildings. He is Associate Editor for Solar Energy, the Journal of Low Carbon and Sustainable Energy, and sits on the editorial boards of 24 scientific journals. He is ranked as the most cited researcher globally in the field of Building and Construction by Stanford University. In 2025, he was also ranked 380 among the top 320,000 most influential researchers across all scientific disciplines worldwide.

His contributions to science and the built environment have been recognised with numerous prestigious international awards, including the PLEA Lifetime Achievement Award, an Honorary PhD from the University of Cyprus and an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute.

In this Expert Talk, Professor Matthaios Santamouris discusses how Europe’s buildings can respond to rising summer overheating and increasing cooling demand sustainably and affordably. The discussion explores whether the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) adequately addresses these challenges, how policymakers can define clear criteria for when indoor overheating becomes a priority, and what policy adjustments are needed to better integrate adaptation. He also reflects on how the current energy poverty framework accounts for rising cooling costs and indoor heat risks for low-income households, as well as the tools that could help ensure adequate protection. The interview further examines the most promising passive and low-energy cooling strategies for European homes, both in retrofits and new builds.

The BUILD UP Expert Talks series is an initiative of the BUILD UP portal and features face-to-face interviews with experts from across Europe, offering diverse perspectives on key topics related to energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings. These interviews align with the Topic of the Month and explore it in depth, providing valuable insights, experiences, and expertise to the BUILD UP audience.