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Climate Change Adaptation for UK Buildings

"The ongoing changes in the UK's climate already pose challenges to people, ecosystems, infrastructure, society, and the economy. It's not enough to just plan to reduce green house gas emissions. We have to adapt as well."

Richard Millar, Head of Adaptation & Climate Science, UK Climate Change Committee, 29/03/23

Climate change is not a future problem - "it's here and now"

British Red Cross, 2022

We’re passionate about reaching net zero, but we also recognise that adapting to the immediate impacts of climate change is becoming a critical priority too.

Global carbon emissions have continued to accelerate, and the UK’s climate is already changing. The Met Office’s latest climate projection model is clear that even under low emissions scenarios the UK will experience hotter, drier summers; warmer, wetter winters; and more frequent and severe extreme weather events.

Global emissions continue to rise

AR6 Synthesis Report graph showing Global emissions rising
Credit:  AR6 Synthesis Report  ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/figures/

The UK's climate is already changing

Graph showing UK climate rising since 1659
Credit:  Central England Temperature with Climate Change Projections,, Chrisbeales.net

Our changing climate is already having a significant impact on the built environment. New climate related risks including overheating, flooding, water scarcity, storm damage, and wild fires all pose serious threats to building safety, occupant health and wellbeing, and operational performance.

Image showing the 5 icons for flooding, water scarcity, storm damage and rapid changes in energy

Scroll through our research to see why we need to talk about climate change adaptation for buildings...

Taking an exam on a 32 degrees day leads to a 10% lower likelihood of passing compared with taking an exam on a 22 degrees day - Climate Change Committee, 2022
In 2021, two acute hospitals in London were closed for 24 hours due to flash flooding - British Medical Journal, 2021
Most of the UK’s buildings weren’t designed to cope with warmer, and wetter winters; hotter and drier summers; and more frequent and severe storms - Met Office, 2021
Between 20,000 – 135,000 more UK homes and businesses are now at high risk of flooding due to climate change - National Infrastructure Commission, 2022
90% of hospital wards in the UK are estimated to be at risk of overheating - Climate Change Committee, 2022
Demand for cooling could increase UK power consumption by up to 15%, putting pressure on energy efficiency and carbon reduction plans - BEIS, 2021
Some UK classrooms experience overheating for more than 40% of school hours - Mohamed et al, 2021
There has been a 320% increase in major UK storms since 2010, causing between £300 – 480m damage each year - Swinton, 2021
The number of wildfires in England tripled between 2021 and 2022 - International Fire & Safety Journal, 2023
Nearly half of London businesses are now at risk of flash flooding - Zurich, 2022
Living rooms and bedrooms in the social housing sector are more than three times more likely to overheat compared with private sector households - Moray et al, 2020
Dry summers in England are forecast to increase by up to 50%, while the amount of water available is forecast to reduce by at least 10 – 15% - The Guardian, 2023
More than 60% of leased office buildings in the UK do not have air conditioning installed - Resolution Foundation, 2023

At the same time, new commercial, regulatory and legal drivers mean that building owners and occupiers are becoming more focused on climate adaptation issues. Higher insurance premiums for buildings at risk of storm or flood damage, new mandatory requirements to disclose material climate related risks in financial statements, and a heightened risk of litigation for failing to prevent foreseeable climate-related harms to people, buildings, and infrastructure, are all now commanding serious attention in public and private sector boardrooms.

Equans is leading the conversation on how to systematically identify and manage climate change adaptation risks across the UK built environment. Our expertise in energy, digital, facilities management, and construction gives us a unique view on how to mitigate emissions to reach net zero, while also adapting to new and emerging climate risks.

Managing physical climate risk across your estate

Actively managing climate risk can also help to deliver real business benefits, including reducing exposure to loss and damage, increasing operational and service resilience; ensuring compliance with environmental and financial regulation, as well as improving health, safety and wellbeing for building users. 

Equans’ Integrated Risk, Adaptation and Resilience Model

Get in touch

Please contact us if you would like more information or to discuss climate change adaptation with us.