Climate resilience tops agenda as SRE attends two industry round tables

How do we embed climate resilience across the UK’s built environment? Is adopting Passivhaus at scale the key to ensuring the nation’s homes are comfortable, cool and sustainable as annual temperatures continue to rise?

These big topics were the focus of two round tables last week, with SRE’s Anna Maclean joining leaders from across the construction, law and finance sectors at Business Insider’s Sustainability and the Future session, whilst SRE’s Jean Dib joined ADF - Architects' Datafile discussion of Passivhaus and its potential for wider application across residential developments.

The verdict?

• Both round tables looked to tackle the big climate talking point of the moment: temperature rises.

• The consensus across both panels was that passive design measures will play a vital role in improving climate resilience.

• Investment will increasingly prioritise ESG, with responsible investors already targeting highly sustainable real estate, both in the commercial and residential spaces.

• Legislation will continue to be central to driving Net Zero and boosting climate resilience within the UK built environment.

• For homes in England, Passivhaus could be a viable solution. However, mandating was not necessarily considered a "silver bullet" for climate resilience due to the higher cost of delivering Passivhaus homes and the significant skills gap. This would require investment and time to develop a workforce capable of supporting widespread implementation.

• Instead, focusing on passive design measures and delivering low-energy homes that champion energy efficiency was considered a more impactful solution.

• Mandating Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) could be the catalyst for driving Passivhaus uptake because of the focus it puts on designing for airtightness.

• Post-occupancy evaluation needs to be given greater emphasis across all areas of the built environment as it demonstrates cost savings and benefits felt by occupiers in the real world, whilst also guiding maintenance and refurbishment spend.

Whichever route is taken, it’s clear the UK needs action NOW to futureproof our homes, offices and public buildings.

To learn more about embedding climate resilience within your upcoming projects and discover how SRE drives value through sustainability for commercial and residential developments across the UK, contact Dominique Mole.