Climate Change & Building Services
It is clear that the global climate is changing. Globally, the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1990. Changes in climate will affect aspects of the built environment, including he external fabric, structural environment and service infrastructure.
At hurleypalmerflatt, we recognize that changes in some climate variables will be more important than others for building services. For example, changes in average temperature will mean buildings will require less heating during cooler months and more cooling during summer months.
Expected impacts include:
- Increase in extreme warm days mean an increase in the number of days buildings may exceed summer maximum temperatures
- Precipitation and sea level will also change, leading to stronger winds and more intensive rainfall in winter months. Increase in damp conditions can increase problems with mould in buildings.
- Cloud cover is expected to decrease in summer months, creating a greater need for shading of buildings as a result. .
- Changes in wind speed are hard to predict, but these are expected to increase in winter and could impact building design and structure.
- The use of different materials will need to be reconsidered based on their thermal properties.
All professionals involved in building design will need to understand these factors and the implications for both new build and refit/refurbishment of existing buildings. This will be especially true of mission critical facilities such as data centres where temperature is a key variable to be strictly controlled. (source:UKCIP)
This is why hurleypalmerflatt are working with Nottingham University to research the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on the built environment in Central London and the implementation of renewables on commercial property.
To see how hurleypalmerflatt can help you with your Energy Strategy click here