New Research Examines How Climate Change is Reshaping Construction

Following a summer of record-breaking temperatures across the globe, new research has been published exploring the effects of a changing climate on the construction sector both now and in the future.

Published by the NHBC Foundation in partnership with Studio Partington, Managing construction in a changing climate explores the impact of climate and weather hazards on the built environment and construction projects, and the steps the wider industry must take to mitigate risk to quality and delivery.

Changing Climate

Construction has always been susceptible to adverse weather conditions, with extremes and seasonal patterns affecting delivery. Today however the industry faces accelerating climate change with sweltering heat, intense rainfall, powerful storms and prolonged dry spells proving increasingly common. These shifts present profound challenges for the built environment and for those who design, construct and maintain it.

This new publication provides practical guidance at a time when construction professionals must reconsider long-held assumptions about predictability, seasonality and site safety. As weather patterns become more volatile, the construction industry must strengthen its ability not only to respond to these changes, but to anticipate and adapt to them.

Real World Construction Impacts

The report draws together the latest climate science, real world construction impacts and insights from experts across industry, academia and safety bodies. It highlights that resilience within the construction process is no longer an optional consideration but a commercial and operational imperative.

If the industry fails to prepare and adapt to the evolving climate, it will face delays, material failure, insurance losses, increased build costs, compromised quality and risks to worker welfare.

Conditions and scenarios explored in this report are not limited to just extreme heat but also:

• Cold waves
• Dust storms
• Flooding
• Fog
• High winds
• Storms
• Torrential rain

Richard Smith, Head of Standards, Innovation & Research at NHBC commented: “While construction projects have always been susceptible to weather fluctuations, historically, the industry has been able to rely on predictable weather cycles for scheduling and planning.

“In a changing climate however, this approach is no longer viable, with the unpredictability of weather events already proving to be a growing challenge.

“The recent record-breaking scorching temperatures we’ve seen are evidence of this, with May, June and July proving far hotter than any of us expected. This report encourages the industry to consider how to continue delivering high quality homes year-round while mitigating operational and commercial risk.”

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