Approach to Design for Resilience to Climate Change

Abstract The occurrence of frequent shifts in weather conditions and extreme weather and climate events brings numerous direct and indirect consequences for the built environment, increases the possibility for disaster occurrence, and accordingly sets new challenges for contemporary architecture. The design focus on climate change mitigation, i.e. on sustainable and, above all, energy efficient buildings, therefore needs to be expanded to strengthen the capacity of such buildings to withstand climate change manifestations while remaining functional. To design for optimal climate change-related performance of buildings, now and in the future, a resilience scenario is needed. This work analyses climate change complexity and dynamics as key factors that articulate the design strategy for climate-resilient buildings. Based on the relevance of reviewed risks, variability, and uncertainty regarding climate change, this work maps a generic design framework, explains the meaning of ‘transposed regionalism’, and discusses the relationship between resilience and the adaptation of buildings in (un)predictable climate futures