Climate Adaptation for Architects

Architecture must adapt to protect people from the threat of climate change. About half of the world’s population lives in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change as hazards continue to intensify, with global disasters projected to reach 560 events per year by 2030, or 1.5 events every day.

The accelerating frequency and intensity of disasters underscores the urgency to prepare for severe events to protect people, communities, and essential systems but also to protect the environment which provides shelter, livelihoods, cultural heritage, and public functions. This book provides a comprehensive reference of climate adaptation design tactics and a toolkit for adaptation to shocks and stresses, outlining the process for architects and designers to:

• Understand the risks posed by climate change to the built environment.
• Reduce the risks to people and the built environment from natural hazards.
• Reduce human vulnerability to shocks and stresses by strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity.
• Design the built environment to adapt to changes over its lifetime.
• Design buildings and cities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• Preserve biodiversity and support natural resources.

Climate Adaptation for Architects presents 45 adaptation tactics responding to the most consequential effects of climate change: heat, water, wind, and resource scarcity. Each chapter includes images, definition, background information, key design issues, potential impacts, and resources for further information. This is a valuable resource for all architects, landscape architects, urban planners, developers, and policy makers.