Extreme weather is becoming more commonplace and how people experience the resulting impacts is being shaped by the social and economic infrastructure around them.
Delivering greater resilience needs to be a national strategic priority as events such as flooding pose an increasing threat.
Recognising this, UK Concrete convened a roundtable discussion with developers, investors, architects, and sustainability experts to debate key issues. Download the full report here and keep reading for a snapshot of the discussion.
Education to future-proof design
Improving the built environment sector’s understanding of materials and climate resilience
Some panellists during the debate said that a lack of understanding and education about materials was limiting development which embeds climate resilience.
They argued that some students are harbouring preconceptions about concrete being incompatible with sustainable development. One attendee noted that concrete construction is able to support climate resilience through the provision of buildings with high thermal mass that resist overheating, or permeable paving which slows run-off, or with the creation of durable structures that are resilient to the impacts of water and which can be used to support planting.
Addressing carbon tunnel vision
The event highlighted a disproportionate focus on reducing carbon emissions at the expense of resilience.
The answer, it was argued, was for landlords, investors and insurers to step back and analyse the data showing the cost of climate events on their property portfolio, factoring in issues such as the cost of lost no-claims bonuses or increased insurance premiums.
Building resilience into the public realm
The public realm in urban environments plays a vital role in climate resilience but is faced with collaboration challenges. Some participants noted that there is a need to design the hard-to-manage spaces between buildings to withstand climate impacts while enhancing community offerings.
Concrete offers practical solutions such as permeable paving which slows run-off to reduce urban flooding and durable structures that endure heatwaves and heavy rain. Its versatility also enables the integration of nature based solutions into urban spaces, with features such as SuDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) creating functional green spaces that also support biodiversity.
Retrofitting to avoid stranded assets
In any year, 99% of the UK’s buildings are already in existence, making retrofitting for climate resilience a critical issue.
A number of panellists called for interventions from mortgage lenders, or insurers, to ensure the climate risk was “transparent” to private home buyers. They debated what happens if we had a future where resilience was considered as part of every insurance transaction, as part of mortgage applications.
Concrete’s durability makes it an ideal material for adaptive reuse, extending the life of existing buildings while improving their resilience. From flood-proofing older homes to redesigning public spaces with permeable surfaces, concrete can be used to upgrade infrastructure effectively and sustainably, ensuring the built environment is fit for a changing climate and reducing the risk of stranded assets.