Planning for Resilience: Incorporating Climate-Adaptive Design Principles into Construction Projects

Modern consumers care about sustainability. Around 60% of customers say that they'd pay more for a sustainably packaged product, and 78% say that leading a sustainable lifestyle is important to them.

Companies that respond to this sentiment by making changes to their ESG policies have a claimed 1.7 percentage-point advantage in CARG over their rivals, too. This is hard to overlook regardless of the industry you work in.

Embracing sustainability can pad your profit and help your construction firm become more resilient, too. Modern, resilient designs can stand up to climate catastrophes like tornados and require minimal resources compared to outdated designs. This will appeal to climate-aware consumers and reduce the impact that construction has on the natural world.

Photo by Vivint Solar on Unsplash

Climate Adaptive Design

Innovative construction firms around the world are finding ways to adapt their policies and processes to minimize ecological harm and make the most of emerging climate-friendly technology. If you need inspiration, consider utilizing innovative climate change-resilient designs like:

Trombe Walls: Solar heating traps the sun’s energy inside the home and keeps the house warmer thanks to clever manipulation of glass and walls.

Water Harvesting: Low waste water harvesting is popular in countries like Kazakhstan that receive minimal rainfall. Plastic-lined bowls collect evaporation, while high-tech atmospheric water generators pull moisture from the air.

Green Roofs: German developers are finding ways to plant grass, shrubs, and flowers that retain heat and warm houses naturally. Building these roofs requires serious engineering to ensure roofs can bear the large load of wet soil while capturing carbon.

Evaporative Cooling: Evaporative cooling occurs when air entering the home passes over cool water. This can reduce air temperature by 40F and ensures that fresh air enters the home on hot days.

These techniques blend ancient and modern technology to effectively cool and heat the home. They protect the environment and require minimal amounts of power to be installed and maintained. These climate adaptive designs are also tailored to the specific context of the local environment. This will help you source local, sustainable materials that cut down the carbon cost of construction projects. For example, you can source local shrubs, lumber, and flowers while building green roofs and ferrock as a recycled alternative for concrete when constructing Trombe walls. This will further your progress toward ESG goals and help you connect with local eco-friendly vendors.

Energy Enhancement

Solar adoption continues to rise at an astronomical rate across the nation. Around 28.8 million peak kilowatt hours of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules were shipped in 2021 alone, as millions of Americans cashed in on federal tax credits and the promise of lowered energy bills in the future.

This is good news if you want to build more construction projects that incorporate energy-saving technology like solar panels. You can use market trends to convince investors that solar panels are worth the investment, and point towards financial incentives like:

• One-time rebates for installations;

• State tax credits;

• Low-interest loans available on solar panels;

• Business tax credits beyond the 30% federal credit.

These financial incentives can help clients decide if solar is right for them. When weighing up this decision, be sure to assess the suitability of the structure for solar and the energy needs of your client. If solar makes sense financially, consider incorporating it in your preliminary designs.

If clients are resistant to spending more on energy-saving technology, consider promoting more traditional methods like landscaping with energy efficiency in mind. Even simple changes, like leaving space in your home design for shady trees and green roofs can reduce the risk of a new building becoming a heat sink when temperatures sore. This improves heat tolerance and helps clients cut down their energy bills.

Heat Tolerance

As temperatures rise, construction firms have to pay increased attention to the impact that high heat will have on building projects. This is particularly important in urban areas, where extreme heat has an impact on city planning. Construction projects in the nation’s cities and towns have to account for the sink-like properties of urban areas and should invest in climate-responsive designs like green roofs, absorbing elements, and permeable paving.

Construction firms that do find ways to design climate-resistant buildings will gain a competitive advantage over less progressive peers, too. Climate-resistant buildings are suited to face the challenges of the next 50 years and will be built with resistant elements in mind, like:

• Flood Proof foundations and materials;

• Windproof windows that feature shatter-resistant glass;

• Truss structures to stand up to high winds;

• Seawalls and wave breakers to minimize flood damage;

• Gray water recycling to minimize reliance on external supplies.

These features can stand up to high winds and floodwaters. This may not prevent a natural disaster from decimating the building, but it gives the project a better chance of withstanding natural forces when heavy rain and high winds roll in. This is increasingly important today, as NASA research shows that storms are becoming more intense and result in heavier rainfall, larger storm surges, and increased risk of coastal floods.

Conclusion

Climate-adaptive design is crucial for modern construction projects. Even simple changes, like installing water harvesting capabilities, can help homeowners bounce back after drought and improve the resilience of your designs. These changes are great for the local environment and give you a competitive advantage over your less-progressive competitors. Just be sure to check local construction recommendations first, as you may be eligible for grants and tax breaks when installing features like solar panels. 

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Author : Miles Oliver

Cover image by Watt A Lot on Unsplash