Building and Environment Special Issue on the Implications of a Changing Climate for Buildings

Edited by Pieter de Wilde and David Coley, this special issue of Building and Environment deals with the implications of a changing climate for buildings. Climate change is considered to be one of the main challenges facing humankind in the 21st century, with serious and global consequences for the environment, human health, and the economy. 

In itself, the built environment is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. For typical developed nations like the OECD countries, about 24 to 40% of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions will be related to buildings; 40 to 95% of these emissions will be caused by operational energy use with the remainder being caused by construction and demolition. At the same time, the performance of buildings depends on the climate they are exposed to. Their long lifetime (in the range of 50 to 100 plus years) corresponds to the timescale over which the climate is expected to show substantial change. This implies that buildings built today need to be designed to work successfully in both the current and future climate, and with the aim of reducing the greenhouse emission burden they place on this and future generations.

While greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are thus intrinsically linked, traditionally most attention is paid to curbing emissions and climate change mitigation. The special issue focuses on the reverse relation: adaptation or resilience of buildings towards climate change.

To access this Special Issue, go to http://tiny.cc/fl5tfw