Building for Climate Change
Developers are looking to incorporate weather-resistant materials into their buildings to combat tornadoes and more.
There I was. Outside, walking my dog Cinnamon while listening to my favorite true crime podcast. No jacket necessary—a light shirt was totally fine. “Is this heaven?” I asked myself.
And than it dawned on me.
It wasn’t heaven. It was New Jersey. In late fall.
I shouldn’t have been able to comfortably walk around outside without a jacket. Years before I’d be wearing a winter coat this time of year.
Climate change is upon us. And we need to act soon, before it’s too late. And of course, there is a lot more to worry about than a balmy November afternoon. Climate change has led to severe weather, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires.
For multifamily developers, Matt Roberts, a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley, had some suggestions at the recent Greenbuild conference in Philadelphia about reducing a building’s carbon impact. “Build less, build light, build smart, build low carbon and build for the future,” he said.
But when there isn’t an option to simply not build, look to including more sustainable and climate-resistant materials. For example, RXR’s AVE Hamilton Green property in White Plains, N.Y., features smart glass technology.
“What this does is allow the building to be cooler in the hot months and warmer in the cold months,” Joe Graziose Jr. of RXR told reporter Robyn Friedman in “Climate-Resilient Solutions Shield Communities When Disaster Strikes.”
This will help shield the building from extreme heat. It’s also more energy efficient—the company expects to see a 15 to 30 percent energy reduction.
How are you preparing your buildings for the effects of climate change? I’d love to hear your thoughts at [email protected].
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! Stay warm! (Just not, you know, unseasonably warm for this time of year.)
