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Design for Future Climate: Adapting Commercial Buildings

Mitigation strategies for Climate Change have advanced considerably over the last decade but adaptation strategies are yet to be developed. This real-world problem posed three research design questions: 1. Can the fabric of existing buildings and user behaviour be adapted to prevent overheating? 2. If so, what would the strategy be to achieve this? 3. Would such adaptations be commercially viable and applicable to other buildings? Bauman led a multidisciplinary team comprising facilities manager, environmental engineer, landscape architect and architect on this ‘research-by-design’ project to develop an adaptation strategy for an existing Arts College in Doncaster. The team developed taxonomy of potential adaptations, which we modelled and evaluated against a set of agreed criteria. The strategy was developed on a room-by-room basis as each space is exposed to a different level of overheating. Through an iterative design process we arrived at the optimum strategy that was both effective and commercially viable. Solution adaptations included modifications to window design, shading devices and shutters, increased cross ventilation, increased thermal mass, ceiling fans, control of occupancy levels and improvements in IT heat emissions. Our proposals also included suggestions for behaviour change of occupiers and new facilities management initiatives. At the project outset the building was overheating, and a conventional solution to this problem would be to install air conditioning. The results of our research illustrate that adaptations to management, behaviour and external fabric offer an effective and affordable alternative and that, using these strategies, many existing buildings can avoid air-conditioning. The research is available on the Technology Strategy Board website, has been published in professional press, and is a case study in CIBSE forthcoming Technical Manual Designing for Climate Change, and Designing for Climate Change by Bill Gething (RIBA 2012). The project is shortlisted for RIBA Research Award In Practice 2013.