Prof Targo Kalamees | Material Degradation and Corrosion | Outstanding Scientist Award
Prof. Targo Kalamees is an internationally recognized expert in building physics, with more than two decades of experience in research, teaching, and scientific leadership. He currently serves as a tenured full professor at the School of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Tallinn University of Technology. His work focuses on the hygrothermal behavior of buildings, energy efficiency, renovation strategies, and climate resilience in construction. Through a career marked by interdisciplinary research and global collaboration, he has made transformative contributions to sustainable building technologies and design methodologies tailored for cold and variable climates.
Prof Targo Kalamees, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
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🎓 Education
Prof. Targo Kalamees has a robust academic foundation in civil engineering and building physics. He earned his Doctoral Degree in 2006 from Tallinn University of Technology, focusing on hygrothermal criteria for the design and simulation of buildings 🏗️📊. Prior to this, he completed a Master’s Degree in 1999 at the same university, specializing in the hygrothermal performance of externally insulated walls 🧱💧. His academic journey began with a MSc-equivalent degree in Civil Engineering (1996) and an earlier diploma in geodesy from TTK University (1991) 📐🌍. This progressive education laid the foundation for his scientific excellence in sustainable construction and building physics 🏠📚.
🏛️ Experience
Prof. Targo Kalamees has extensive academic and research experience in building physics and energy efficiency. Since 2018, he has been a Tenured Full Professor at Tallinn University of Technology, where he also previously served as Head of the Chair of Building Physics and Energy Efficiency. He has conducted postdoctoral research at Helsinki University of Technology and was a Visiting Research Fellow at Lund University. His roles have centered on climate-resilient buildings, moisture-safe construction, and sustainable renovation strategies, combining leadership, scientific excellence, and international collaboration. 🧱🌡️🏛️🔬🌐
🎓 Supervisory Excellence
Prof. Targo Kalamees is a highly accomplished doctoral supervisor, having successfully guided over ten PhD candidates in building physics and sustainable construction 🏗️📚. His students’ research spans key areas such as energy renovation of apartment buildings, air leakage and thermal bridge modeling, hygrothermal analysis of wall systems, and renovation strategies for wooden structures 🌬️🏡🌡️. His guidance has shaped groundbreaking work on nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB), prefabricated insulation systems, and durable retrofit technologies 🔋🧱🔧. With deep expertise and visionary mentorship, he continues to empower future researchers to tackle climate-responsive and energy-efficient building challenges 🧑🏫🌍🌱.
🔬 Research Focus
Prof. Targo Kalamees focuses on advancing sustainable and resilient building technologies through research in building physics, particularly hygrothermal performance of envelope structures 🧱💧🌡️. His work integrates modelling, lab experiments, and field studies to understand and mitigate heat loss, air leakage, and thermal bridging in buildings 🧪🔍🏠. He is a pioneer in climate-resilient renovation, promoting indoor comfort, energy efficiency, and the circular economy in construction ♻️🌍. His goal is to develop future-proof buildings that withstand evolving climate challenges while supporting low-carbon lifestyles 🌦️🔋. His research bridges engineering, environmental sustainability, and applied building science 🛠️📊.
Publications 📚
Indoor Climate Loads for Dwellings in Different Cold Climates to Assess Hygrothermal Performance of Building Envelopes
Authors: Ilomets, S.; Kalamees, T.; Tariku, F.
Journal: Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2019
Influence of Interior Layer Properties to Moisture Dry-Out of CLT Walls
Authors: Kukk, V.; Külaots, A.; Kers, J.; Kalamees, T.
Journal: Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2019
Influence of Window Details on the Energy Performance of an nZEB
Authors: Kalbe, K.; Kalamees, T.
Journal: Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering, 2019
Renovation of Apartment Buildings with Prefabricated Modular Panels
Authors: Kuusk, K.; Pihelo, P.; Kalamees, T.
Journal: E3S Web of Conferences, 2019
Summer Thermal Comfort in New and Old Apartment Buildings
Authors: Maivel, M.; Kurnitski, J.; Kalamees, T.
Journal: Windsor Conference Proceedings, 2019
The Effects of Production Technologies on the Air Permeability and Crack Development of Cross-Laminated Timber
Authors: Kukk, V.; Kalamees, T.; Kers, J.
Journal: Journal of Building Physics, 2019
Indoor Hygrothermal Loads for the Deterministic and Stochastic Design of the Building Envelope for Dwellings in Cold Climates
Authors: Ilomets, S.; Kalamees, T.; Vinha, J.
Journal: Journal of Building Physics, 2018
Internal Moisture Excess of Residential Buildings in Finland
Authors: Vinha, J.; Salminen, M.; Salminen, K.; Kalamees, T.; Kurnitski, J.; Kiviste, M.
Journal: Journal of Building Physics, 2018