- Location
- Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Offices
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Client
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Birmingham City University
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Image Credit
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Birmingham City University
- Location
- Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Offices
- Client
-
- Birmingham City University
- Image Credit
- Birmingham City University
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Like many urban universities, Birmingham City University (BCU) faces growing pressures from a changing climate. This includes hotter summers and more frequent heatwaves, along with wetter winters, increased frequency and duration of rainfall and higher intensity storms. BCU commissioned our team to deliver a comprehensive climate risk and resilience assessment.
BCU operates a diverse estate of 20 buildings across nine locations in the city of Birmingham and surrounding areas, spanning teaching, research, cultural, and residential uses. Against a backdrop of ageing buildings with existing performance constraints and a need to balance adaptation investment with operational costs and carbon reduction goals, prioritising the assets most at risk while aligning with long?term estates planning is crucial.
Using an International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) aligned UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Physical Risk Framework, we consistently assessed BCU locations at the asset level. We incorporated UKCP18 climate projection data at a granular level to understand levels of exposure across all future climate risks and surveys and information requests to properly interpret the vulnerability and adaptative capacity of different assets and functions.
From our assessment, we concluded that all assets are exposed to future climate risk, with impacts increasing over time. While overall portfolio risk is low in the short term, risks in the medium term from overheating, pluvial flooding, storms, and wind become more pronounced. By the long term (up to the year 2080), the estate reaches an overall moderate risk level, driven primarily by rising heat stress and risk of surface water flooding.
The report provides BCU with clear prioritisation of at?risk buildings, a strong evidence base to support future funding. and governance decisions as they work towards their Strategy 2030 environmental sustainability commitments. It also offers actionable insight to align climate adaptation with maintenance, refurbishment, and investment planning. Wherever possible, the report recommends passive design solutions and nature?based interventions.
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- Location
- Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Offices
-
-
Client
-
-
Birmingham City University
-
-
Image Credit
-
Birmingham City University
- Location
- Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Offices
- Client
-
- Birmingham City University
- Image Credit
- Birmingham City University