Why do we need to design for the future climate?
The shifting climate in Canada has the potential to transform weather patterns and temperature regimes in ways that could render buildings designed to the contemporary climate as inefficient, uncomfortable, or even unsafe. As Canada’s climate continues to change, buildings and their occupants face a host of challenges. These include considerable changes in energy needs for heating and cooling purposes. In addition, more frequent extreme daytime high temperatures due to climate change increase the risk of overheating in buildings during the summer months, particularly where cooling systems like air conditioning have not been required historically.
The building industry now faces an important challenge: to design buildings that are energy efficient and comfortable for all occupants in the current climate, yet are climate-resilient and continue to provide protection under future climatic conditions until the end of their design service lives.