Climate change is having a dramatic impact upon many areas of our lives. From food production to trends in migration, the influence of climate change is strong and looks only set to grow in the years ahead.
But what about the buildings that surround us? While we seek to tackle climate’s effect on every other aspect of modern living, it can be easy to overlook how it also impacts the built environment. What steps will we need to take to safeguard construction in the future? Why is climate change a factor when building new properties? How is the construction industry responding to climate change?
Let’s take a closer look at these areas for a deep dive into how construction will respond to climate change challenges in the years ahead.
Achieving net zero and championing ESG
As the general public becomes more and more aware of the impact of climate change, the construction industry has more encouragement to act decisively and effectively to mitigate climate change. This is bolstered by growing interest and initiatives from government.
Several of the big names in construction have pledged their commitment to reducing CO2 emissions, acknowledging the climate emergency that the industry is contributing to.
The Royal Institute of British Architects has made a climate declaration, and key figures in structural engineering have also voiced their concerns and commitment to change.
While contractors on the ground of property building have not yet made the same kind of pledges, they have often spoken about supporting the net zero aims in place for 2050 and are working towards making them a reality.
Environmental and social responsibility (ESG) is more important than ever before for companies across all sectors, and construction is no exception.
Choosing sustainable materials for construction
The construction industry is already exploring routes to more sustainable practices in all areas of construction, though it can be argued these changes are not happening fast enough.
Part of the reason for that delay is simply a lack of awareness, alongside a fear that stopping current practices would impact existing building projects or cause prices of raw materials to rise exponentially.
Yet there is reason to believe that adopting more sustainable practices would have the opposite effect. One of the most compelling arguments is the sheer impact of current building practices on the world around us. In particular, concrete, as the second most used resource on earth, is considered a damaging (yet currently essential) part of the constriction process, using tonnes of natural resources and contributing to around 5-10% of our global carbon emissions.
There are new routes that the industry is actively engaged with, such as more eco-friendly alternatives to standard concrete/cement which have a smaller carbon footprint while fulfilling similar functions in the building process.
If these materials are used across many building projects, it represents a more sustainable approach to the nation’s properties, which could transform the built environment into something considerably more sustainable.
Right now, the challenge is convincing key decision-makers to engage with these alternatives and deploy them. For some developers, it is simply a case of waiting it out: new technologies such as carbon capture, use and storage are compelling, and the UK government (and much of the construction industry) are convinced this represents a way to mitigate carbon emissions and slow climate change.
Unfortunately, the technology is still not available for mainstream use and is likely to be costly when it does start to be used commercially. Therefore, it’s critical to find solutions now rather than waiting for technology that doesn’t exist in practice yet.
How construction will need to adapt
As temperatures in the UK are expected to continue rising, this climate change scenario requires alterations to the way we build new properties. There are likely to be some significant changes in our weather conditions. For instance, adaptations in the amount of expected rainfall, and the likelihood of more catastrophic weather events are also things we will need to consider for new construction projects.
It may seem that putting solutions in place can be delayed, but as many of the structures being built today will last for 100 years or more, now is the time to put a plan in place.
The alternative is to risk building properties that cannot achieve the desired level of longevity and may not be able to withstand changes to the climate that are just around the corner. In addition, there is a cost-related benefit to tackling these issues now, for both commercial and domestic properties.
Buildings that have not been constructed with a view to changing data on climate change are likely to require future adaptation, causing new expenses and complications. Thankfully, all of this can be mitigated by choosing the right materials, paying close attention to the available data, and working to limit the impact of climate change by remaining committed to net zero by 2050.