July 14, 2004—Studies commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry have led to the development of templates for how UK buildings can be adapted to cope with increasingly hot summers, one of the main effects of climate change.
The research carried out by engineers Arup will be published in full in the autumn. In the meantime, a summary briefing document offers a series of recommendations for improving comfort levels for the people who have to work or live in existing buildings.
Although both residential and non-residential buildings are affected, adaptation methods are particular to each type of building. Even within similar types of building, solutions will differ according to factors such as how the building is used and the preferences of the owners/occupiers. Overall, buildings with high thermal mass will be much less affected and easier to adapt than lightweight structures, the report notes.
The solution of installing air conditioning has disadvantages in terms of increasing energy use and, depending on the source of the electricity, contributing further to climate change. Other suggested ways of improving comfort levels include:
- Intelligent 24-hour control of ventilation
- Solar shading to reduce heat gains through windows
- Turning off equipment such as PC monitors and printers when not in use
- Relaxing dress codes at work
For more information, contact The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2004 i-FM
