Building for a changing climate: the challenge for construction, planning and energy by Peter F Smith [book review]

It is a well-known fact that adapting to climate change is much more cost effective than taking emergency measures afterwards (Stern, 2006). And buildings, being a long-term investment, are certainly a relevant sector for such adaptation. The literature on the adaptation of buildings to climate change is vast, ranging from location-specific books (e.g. New York City Panel on Climate Change, 2010) to technical guidance books (e.g. Roaf et al., 2009) and design (e.g. Hyde et al., 2007) to multi-disciplinary perspectives of the impacts of climate change on the built environment (e.g. Moore, 2010; Booth et al., 2012). This book is a pleasant exception. While the title of the book may make you think about buildings and construction only, this book is more than that, and it becomes clear once you examine the table of contents. The aim of this book is not to find a silver bullet for a construction sector threatened by climate change, or to discuss the challenges imposed by climate change on the construction sector; rather, this book explores the implications of climate change for buildings and cities providing excellent examples (written as well as visual) of these implications under the High Emissions Scenario (HES). It does not give patronizing recommendations on how things have to be done, but rather introduces options that provide a thinking ground on energy consumption and generation, materials and design for those interested in the subject. [...continues].