Description: It is widely agreed that the world’s climate is changing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The UK is not immune to the consequences of global climatic change, as recent extreme weather conditions have shown. Rainfall and flooding have caused significant damage to buildings and transport infrastructure over the past few years.

Climate change poses risks to construction projects in other ways too, through:
- delay to construction programmes
- mould growth in dwellings
- subsidence and heave
- slope instability
- damage to the building fabric, particularly cladding
- wind-related damage
- effects on roof drainage.

There is little evidence that UK construction companies are implementing or considering adaptation strategies or mitigation measures to reduce these impacts. Construction clients (both public- and private-sector), engineers, contractors and other interest groups will therefore benefit from this up-to-date review of the implications of climate change and the practical guidance it contains on assessing and managing the associated risks, such as ground movement, rain penetration and wind loading.

Keywords: environmental good practice, housing, risk and value management, facilities management, climate change, flooding

Contents: Executive summary, Acknowledgements, 1 Introduction, 1.1 Scene setting, 1.2 Purpose and scope, 1.3 Methodology, 1.4 Readership, 1.5 How to use the book, 2 Introduction to climate change, 2.1 The changing climate, 2.2 Why is our climate changing?, 2.3 Likely changes to the UK climate over the next century?, 3 Drivers for the construction sector, 3.1 Government awareness and changing guidance, 3.2 Clients and contracts, 3.3 Insurance industry, 3.4 User and public perception, 4 Consequences of climate change for the construction industry, 4.1 Delays to the construction process, 4.2 Subsidence and heave, 4.3 Decreased durability and performance of materials, 4.4 Slope instabilities, 4.5 Damage to the fabric of buildings, 4.6 Structural damage from wind-related events, 4.7 Pressure on water resources, 4.8 Poorer conditions in the internal environment, 4.9 Flooding, 5 Integrating climate change into the risk decision-making process, 5.1 Introduction, 5.2 Defining the nature of the decision problem, 5.3 Risk assessment, 5.4 Option appraisal and development of adaptation strategy, 5.5 Case study, 6 Consequences, climate change and the decision-making process, 6.1 Delays to construction programmes, 6.2 Decreased durability and performance of materials: a review of concrete, 6.3 Poorer conditions in the internal environment: consideration of internal mould growth in domestic dwellings, 6.4 Subsidence and heave problems in domestic dwellings, 6.5 Slope instabilities, 6.6 Damage to the fabric of buildings: potential effects on cladding, 6.7 Structural damage from wind-related events, 6.8 Potential effects upon roof drainage arising from climate change, 7 Conclusions, Appendices: A1 Questionnaire, A2 Figures, A3 Risk matrix, A4 References, A5 Further readings