The trend report.
Too darn hot.
OVERHEATING: ASSESSING THE INCREASING RISK FOR KEY BUILDINGS IN UK REGIONS
Our collaboration with the UKGBC provides a science-led basis for understanding climate change impacts, with recommendations for industry stakeholders and policy makers
WHAT? We conducted a UKGBC Climate Resilience Roadmap study on how rising temperatures affect building overheating risks, modelling various building types across six UK regions and three future climate scenarios. Dynamic thermal modelling showed widespread baseline overheating risks, which were then assessed against passive (e.g., shading, night purging, ventilation) and active (e.g., mechanical cooling) adaptation measures. The results highlight extreme risks in much of the existing building stock, which can be greatly reduced through passive design measures that should be prioritised over active systems to support net-zero goals and reduce comfort poverty.
WHY? Enhancing built environment resilience protects people from the negative health, wellbeing, and productivity impacts of climate change, while also increasing asset value and improving access to development finance.
LET'S TALK
Share this on LinkedIn
1.
OLDER OFFICES
Baseline scenarios show extreme risks in all cases, reduced to low levels outside London through passive design measures, with further active measures needed elsewhere.
2.
OLDER CAREHOMES
Because care home residents are highly vulnerable, the assessment method is more sensitive, showing extreme baseline risks across all regions, which passive measures greatly reduce, while active measures short of air conditioning offer little further benefit.
3.
OLDER HEALTHCARE BUILDINGS
Across the UK, passive design measures greatly reduce healthcare building risks except in London, where active measures are needed to bring risks below extreme.
4.
OLDER SCHOOLS
Older schools show extreme baseline risks from poor design and construction, with passive measures greatly reducing these, though active measures are still needed in most regions except those represented by Glasgow weather data.
5.
OLDER HOMES
Low-density housing, especially in southern England and London, faces extreme risks due to features such as large windows and low thermal mass; passive measures usually reduce these to acceptable levels, though active measures are sometimes needed.
6.
OLDER HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS
High-rise residential buildings show a similar pattern, with passive measures reducing risks to low in most areas, while active measures are needed in London.
On the radar.
1.
AI FOR GOOD?
A new study by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Systemiq, has found that AI advances could help reduce global emissions annually by 3.2 to 5.4 billion tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent by 2035.
2.
HOT IN THE CITY
We recently developed an interactive map for the UK Green Building Council to illustrate the urban heat island effect – the result of man-made surfaces absorbing and radiating the sun’s heat which gets trapped in dense urban areas – in UK cities over the past 10 years.
3.
CUTTING THROUGH THE COMPLEXITY
As the UK life sciences sector scales up at speed, we’ve been working with Scott Brownrigg on a guide that cuts through the complex nature of creating spaces that meet good manufacturing practice standards. It shows how to turn regulatory requirements into wonderfully efficient, compliant places designed for people as much as process.
4.
FROM IMAGINATION TO REAL-WORLD IMPACT
A Glasgow school pupil was named one of Time magazine’s girls of the year for inventing a solar-powered blanket to help homeless people keep warm. Rebecca Young came up with the idea while she attended an engineering club at school when she was 12, and engineering company Thales turned the idea into a working prototype to give to Homeless Project Scotland.
Conversation kickstarter.
“If I design a rubbish toaster, people just won’t buy it... People have agency and power over how they toast their bread. When it comes to buildings, it’s very different.”
“Despite all of us experiencing buildings on a day-to-day basis, a designer only needs to convince two or three people to get a building built. There is no call and response.”
“It sometimes makes me sad that it’s the opera houses and libraries; why can’t the recycling depot, unemployment office or community centre be joyful?”
Thomas Heatherwick on reclaiming joy in cities, asking: what if society felt less powerless to influence the buildings that surround us? (Building Soul, BBC Sounds)
Kaizen corner.
“Change for better: one-time or continuous, large or small.”
What does safety look like for developments’ different user groups, beyond standard accessibility requirements, and considering neurodiversity, cultural/linguistic diversity, and gender? Security design that works for all deters criminality and broadens positive reputational, operational, and financial project impacts.
Let's talk – Lucy Garland@hoarelea.com
Hoare Lea is...
Thinking about.
The rebirth of carbon offsetting.
The first wave of carbon offsetting in the 2000s was plagued with controversy. Companies would buy cheap credits from questionable projects, often accused of displacing communities or overstating savings. But the landscape is shifting. Our analysis finds standards are tougher, regulatory scrutiny is rising, and new frameworks allow firms to invest in and report offsets as part of credible, long-term climate strategies.
Let's talk – RobertWinch@hoarelea.com
Talking about.
The next regeneration.
Hearing clients’ need for target clarity and broader guidance on whole life carbon and operational energy, and sensing an inherent negativity in public perception of developments, we hosted a BusinessLDN roundtable attended by Deputy Mayor of London and industry luminaries, exploring sustainability challenges. In many instances, development is regenerative (ie. urban nature restoration) so there is a real opportunity to improve comms and engagement around sustainable outcomes.
Let's talk – GregJones@hoarelea.com
Caring about.
Collaborative working.
We’ve all found ourselves asking colleagues to repeat themselves when dialled in to a video call. How can we create an environment where people working from home are as engaged as those in the meeting room, and make it conducive to collaborative working? We created an acoustic simulation tool to explore how different wall and ceiling treatments affect sound for both parties.
Let's talk – BarryJobling@hoarelea.com