Special edition

The special “building and construction” edition of the Climate Change Adaptation Awards has been launched by ADEME and its international partners.

You can download the press release presenting the winning projects!

What are the impacts of climate change on the building and construction sector in the Mediterranean?

The Mediterranean basin is a climate change “hot spot”. The dual phenomena of coastal densification and urbanisation amplify the pressures and risks in the north and south of the Mediterranean, which are already subject to the effects of climate change.

The challenges of increasing the effects of urban heat islands, air pollution and the scarcity of water resources are multiplying, especially in urban areas. They contribute to a significant deterioration in living conditions, particularly for the most vulnerable. The construction sector is particularly affected by these adaptation issues.

How can buildings and constructions be adapted to climate change?

Solutions exist to adapt this sector and to improve thermal comfort in buildings: massification of energy renovation measures, new bioclimatic constructions, passive ventilation and shading measures, use of local bio-sourced materials, installation of heat and cold networks, etc. They can be combined with more appropriate urban planning: vegetation, use of low albedo materials for construction, etc.

Overall, these measures make it possible to reduce energy consumption and the use of air conditioning, a real climate “time bomb”.

GlobalABC, a partner in this special edition of “buildings and construction”, has established 10 principles that can be followed in order to implement effective adaptation projects:

1. Urgency: Act now 2. Stakeholders: Consider a systemic integration of measures for adaptation across the entire value chain 3. Process: Consider adaptation along the entire lifecycle of an asset 4. Mitigation: Implement adaptation and mitigation in tandem 5. Data: Understand climate risk data and accept uncertainty 6. Scale: Think beyond asset-level 7. Green: Consider nature-based solutions 8. People: Promote a “just adaptation” of the building sector 9. Finance: Enable adaptation of the building sector 10. Local: Fit adaptation measures to the local context

The full brochure detailing these principles is available on the GlobalABC website.

This special edition on buildings and construction will identify resilient projects that can be replicated in other territories.

Other publications on adapting buildings to climate change are available:

La brochure complète détaillant ces principes est disponible sur le site de GlobalABC.

1. 1. • The leaflet « Better design for cool buildings – How improved building design can reduce the massive need for space cooling in hot climates” du Program for Energy Efficiency in buildings (PEEB)
      • The ADEME leaflet “State of play and prospective study on the impacts of climate change on the building sector for the years 2050 and 2100“
      • The ADEME leaflet “Refreshing the cities” de l’ADEME
      • Solutions for cool cities – ADEME’s international compendium

[1] MedECC (2020) Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin – Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report [Cramer, W., Guiot, J., Marini, K. (eds.)] Union for the Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, France, 632pp, ISBN 978-2-9577416-0-1, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4768833.