Daniel Beadle, associate director at Pexhurst, delves into climate risk for the UK’s existing building stock, discussing what the industrial and logistics industry can do to mitigate it and set warehouses up for the future
It’s no secret that climate change is becoming a real risk to UK real estate. This summer, we’ve seen more than 35 consecutive heatwave days across the country and reached a record 38 degrees – and buildings are simply not equipped for the heat.
With risks also apparent around flooding, drought, and fire, climate resilience urgently needs to be considered across the existing building stock to ensure properties remain fit for use for many years to come.
Regulation vs incentivisation
The construction industry is simply not at the point of having regulation in place to enforce stakeholders to take action toward a more resilient built environment. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time, and climate change is no longer a future challenge.
Across the UK, we’ve all experienced the effects of prolonged extreme heat and drought, but risk also includes events related to heavy rainfall and storms. How do we, as an industry, set buildings up to resist, absorb, accommodate, and recover from the potential impact?
Unlike the ongoing efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions – which are being tackled through schemes like the government’s £15bn Warm Homes Plan and have since seen policy and regulation become more commonplace – climate resilience seems to be lacking significant public or private backing up to this point.
With asset owners being a key piece of the puzzle, and the stakeholders with the most vested interest in the financial implications of retrofitting older units, they must first feel that adaptation measures are a worthwhile investment. Government support or grant funding is an obvious first step towards making this happen.
The cost barrier
Cost isn’t a new problem. We see time and time again that it’s a huge roadblock when new guidelines, policies or regulations are put in place. Additional assessments and certifications, such as BREEAM, have cost implications and, as a result, key stakeholders may treat them as optional extras.
To draw another comparison to decarbonisation, we have now reached a point where insurers can perform cash flow analysis, creating a more concrete outcome for the asset owner. Again, this isn’t yet the case with climate resilience measures – the cost-benefit value still has a big question mark.
However, what we also know – thanks to research from the UKGBC – is that the average cost of weather-related insurance on non-domestic buildings rose 73% between 2018 and 2023, and £1.2 billion is lost a year due to overheating.
So, how can we offset the upfront cost of adapting existing buildings? The short answer – plan. The goal is to set our existing building stock up to be resilient well into the future so, with that in mind, we can spread the cost and make improvements incrementally.
Risk assessment frameworks
As with any evolving topic, there is understandably an awareness and knowledge gap that needs addressing. Luckily, there is new research and reports appearing all the time – with the UKGBC’s Climate Resilience Roadmap just one example of an incredibly comprehensive guide to what the risks are, alongside recommendations for how it should be politicised.
For practical applications, BREEAM is once again leading the charge with the new version of its refurbishment and fit out standards. This not only improves sustainability guidelines, but also advances decarbonisation efforts to mitigate climate risk and the effects of extreme weather.
Before we reach the point of regulation, risk assessment frameworks such as those in BREEAM will be key to setting a precedent and normalising this way of thinking about risk.
Climate resilience in commercial buildings
Whether completely stripping out and refitting a unit or doing light touch upgrades, there are measures that we can carry out to address drought, overheating, flooding and storms – and many of them are things you may already be considering when improving sustainability or decarbonisation.
Where we would previously have focused on heating warehouse spaces – more recently moving away from wet heating systems and towards alternatives such as air source heat pumps – overheating risks mean we also need to consider mechanical cooling and ventilation. This doesn’t just mean installing air conditioning, but choosing an option with mechanical ventilation. Depending on the scale of the project, we can also improve passive ventilation by improving the capability to open windows throughout.
Landscaping is another increasingly common feature in non-domestic building specifications. Even on units in urban industrial parks, outside seating areas are regularly included as part of a push towards improved staff wellbeing. This produces an opportunity to add taller plants or trees to increase natural shade and reduce solar heating, or use permeable paving or rain gardens to reduce flood risk.
As we’re already inadvertently tackling climate-related issues, the fundamental change comes down to mindset. If we can shift our perspective and reframe the works we’re already carrying out, then the gap that needs plugging immediately shrinks.
The post Building a more resilient future for the industrial and logistics sector appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
