Adapting buildings to climate change

India's building industry faces an urgent need to incorporate Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessments into the structural design and retrofitting of buildings. While global awareness of climate change's impact on infrastructure is rising, the Indian construction sector has been slow to adapt. This lag is particularly concerning given the increased frequency of extreme weather events and the long-term implications of climate change on infrastructure stability and safety.

One significant challenge in integrating climate adaptation into building practices is the slow progress in updating structural design codes and standards. Updating these regulations involves an extensive and time-consuming process. Moreover, the projections of future climatic scenarios vary greatly across different geographies and locations, complicating the task of incorporating accurate climate data into design codes. This uncertainty is compounded by the inadequate characterization of the potential impacts of climate change on weather patterns, which can adversely affect the primary structure of buildings.

In Europe, significant research and initiatives are being led by the European Commission, particularly with the publication of JRC background documents that provide technical guidance for adapting buildings to climate change. However, until this guidance is fully implemented into structural design codes, it is recommended to promote project-specific adaptation measures as best practice. This approach involves integrating scaling factors into climatic effects to ensure that designs account for specific climate hazards, such as increased wind, snow, or flood loads on the structure. Although current building codes include safety factors to allow for some redundancy, these may not be sufficient to fully account for future climate-related risks.

In India, the situation is even more complex, as the adoption of CVRAs remains sporadic, and there is no established methodology for integrating climate adaptation into structural design. The industry must prioritize a phased approach to CVRA, which includes evaluating exposure to climate hazards, assessing building vulnerability, and estimating potential impacts. Such an approach would ensure that investments are safeguarded and that buildings can withstand the effects of climate change.

An essential consideration in adapting to climate change is to avoid over-designing and over-specifying materials. Over-engineering structures to account for all possible climate hazards can lead to increased embodied carbon emissions, which contradicts the goal of sustainable development. Instead, a balanced approach should be adopted, optimizing designs to reduce emissions while enhancing structural resilience and longevity.

In conclusion, India's building industry must urgently integrate climate adaptation into its practices by adopting CVRAs and updating structural design codes to reflect the latest climate science. This will ensure that buildings are resilient, sustainable, and capable of withstanding the evolving challenges posed by climate change.