Comfort and buildings: climate change vulnerability and strategies
International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management
ISSN: 1756-8692
Article publication date: 21 November 2016
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate vulnerability factors that influence thermal comfort in residential buildings in the context of climate change and variability, as well as adaptive strategies that can be adopted. There is a need for research that systematically addresses factors influencing thermal comfort in the context of climate change.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a vulnerability framework, this paper reviews existing literature to identify factors driving impacts to comfort, as well as strategies to increase adaptive capacity in buildings. Data were collected from several sources including international organizations, scientific journals and government authorities, following an initial Web-based subject search using Boolean operators.
Findings
Significant impacts can be expected in terms of thermal comfort inside buildings depending on four vulnerability factors: location; age and form; construction fabric and occupancy and behaviour. Despite the fact that the majority of the existing studies are technically driven and spatially restricted, there is strong evidence of interdependencies of scales in managing vulnerability and adaptive capacity.
Practical implications
Results from this review emphasise the importance of balance mitigation with adaptation regarding new building design and when retrofitting old buildings. The factors identified here can also be used to assist in construction of simplified tools such as a vulnerability index that helps in identifying the most vulnerable buildings and dwellings and assist in retrofit decisions.
Originality/value
The paper offers critical insight regarding implications in building design and policy in a vulnerability framework.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
To the National Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (Contract SFRH/BD/70,395/2010), for funding the research. The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.
Citation
Barbosa, R., Vicente, R. and Santos, R. (2016), "Comfort and buildings: climate change vulnerability and strategies", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 670-688. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-05-2015-0058
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited