The Royal Society is urging both politicians and members of our industry to think more creatively about safeguarding key infrastructure against key extreme weather.

 

A report by the Royal Society has brought to light the extensive issues server wearther can cause to housing stock, buildings, transport links as well as the communities which utilise the built environment more generally

 

The Resilience to Extreme Weather Report suggests that additional creativity and fresh thinking for construction of buildings and infrastructure.

 

The report says there should be a requirement for resilience to be built up into all building and infrastructure projects, with the report pointing to the “Rebuild By Design” scheme launched in the US to promote innovative building designs after Hurricane Sandy.

 

Paul Nurse said this was a unique moment in the development of our built landscape calling it a “unique opportunity” to protect the future.

 

He said: “In the future, the growing global population and changing climate are likely to exacerbate the current challenges.

 

“People’s quality of life and prospects depend on their ability to cope, adapt and develop in the face of these challenges.

 

The report also recommended that a holistic approach should be adopted when it comes to these kinds of projects, with the key being to understand that a failure in another area may have a knock on impact that may be hard to foresee but which much be reviewed and developed and designed for.

 

Responding to the study, John Alker, director of policy and communications at the UK Green Building Council, said further efforts must now be made to improve the sustainability of buildings.

 

In conversations with The Construction Index, Alker said it is important that “buildings and infrastructure are as low carbon as possible”, adding that local businesses and communities should be assisted in adapting “to the climate change already locked in”.