Severe Weather: The New Design Imperative
Date Posted: March 4, 2024
Posted In: Discussion, Environment/Sustainability,
From Gensler: Formerly unprecedented climate events have become our new reality. In 2023 alone, a series of dangerous weather events have disrupted lives, halted economies, and taken over the daily news cycle. July 2023 was the hottest month on record. August 2023 saw the highest-ever average sea surface temperature. The climate crisis is accelerating — the time has come for a concerted response in the form of directed climate action.
The Gensler Research Institute’s Global Climate Action Survey 2023 collected data on nearly 10,000 peoples’ experiences with severe weather across eight countries. We found that extreme weather is a global experience — 90% of respondents reported being recently impacted by at least one severe weather event. Worryingly, the average person was recently impacted by over five severe weather events.
It is undeniable that our buildings and urban infrastructure need to be prepared for the new norm of severe weather. Buildings must be designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public; and our infrastructure must be weather proofed enough to withstand these extreme climatic events. This means moving beyond just keeping the elements out, and intentionally designing for extreme weather conditions.
The most common of all global environmental stressors are extreme heat and heavy precipitation; each experienced by nearly three quarters of survey respondents. However, there is considerable variation between countries and regions. Climate patterns differ significantly from North America to Europe to Asia to Oceania, driving variations in environmental stressors and requiring designers to adapt the mitigation strategies necessary to protect international communities.