Buildings must be designed, built and retrofitted differently, with integrated and performance-based systems, to withstand a changing climate, according to a new report from Saint-Gobain and Arup.
Saint-Gobain – Arup write:
‘Adapting Buildings to Climate Change: Insights into the contribution of building construction solutions to the climate adaptation agenda’ explores the changes designers, architects, engineers, developers and investors need to make to ensure buildings better withstand the growing impacts of extreme weather events and conditions.
Pascal Eveillard, Director for sustainable construction at Saint-Gobain, said: ‘Climate adaptation is becoming an essential pillar of sustainable construction. Buildings are already on the front line of climate change, and this report shows how integrated, performance-based construction solutions can significantly strengthen their resilience. By sharing insights and practical pathways, we want to help the entire ecosystem—from designers to policymakers— accelerate the transition toward buildings that are safer, more comfortable and better adapted to a changing climate. Buildings must adapt to climate change; the good news is that solutions already exist to make them more resilient.’
Ignacio Fernandez, Director, façade architect and design expert at Arup, said:‘Climate change is already putting buildings under strain – from extreme heat to flooding and storms – so adaptation can’t be treated as an optional add-on. This report shows how designers, engineers and investors can embed climate adaptation into both new construction and the retrofit of existing buildings.
Resilience works best when it’s delivered through integrated systems, not as a patchwork of isolated measures. Taking a circular approach – reusing and upgrading what we already have – can help scale adaptation faster, cut disruption, and improve comfort and safety for people inside buildings.’
Increasing frequency and severity of hazards such as heatwaves, floods, extreme rainfall, storms, and wildfires is a reality across all continents and regions.
Between 2000 and 2019, more than 7,000 major climate-related disasters caused nearly US$3 trillion in losses worldwide. This number reflects thousands of destructive events that impact on the lives of people and communities.
Arup’s research into urban overheating has found that the urban heat island effect can raise temperatures in cities by up to 8.5°C compared to their rural surroundings – putting people’s lives at risk and driving spikes in energy demand for cooling.
The challenge facing the global property sector is a dual one: coping with multiplying impacts of more and more extreme weather events and conditions while limiting the contribution buildings make to further warming, resource depletion and energy demand.
The new report emphasizes the need to integrate climate adaptation into both the design of new constructions and the retrofit of existing buildings, supported by forward-looking climate risk assessments, evolving regulations, and investment. It identifies three complementary design approaches—robustness, adaptiveness, and flexibility—to help buildings perform under uncertain future climate conditions.
To translate adaptation into action, the report presents five key families of construction solutions:
1. Thermal envelope systems
2. Solar protection systems
3. Green building envelopes and green infrastructure
4. Heat-reflective and stormwater-permeable surfaces
5. Enhanced-resistance protective systems
A central finding of the report is that climate resilience is most effective when solutions are delivered as integrated, performance-based systems, rather than isolated products.
This publication provides insights into one of the priority actions identified in the Action Paper published by Saint-Gobain’s Sustainable Construction Observatory released at COP30: making resilience a mandatory evaluation criterion in all requests for proposals (RFPs).
It is also a reflection of Saint-Gobain’s purpose, ‘Making the World a Better Home,’ and its strategic plan Lead & Grow, which places climate adaptation alongside decarbonisation and resource efficiency as a key driver of long-term value. By advancing solutions that improve the resilience, comfort, and sustainability of buildings, Saint-Gobain aims to contribute to safer living environments while supporting the transition to light and sustainable construction.
