Preparing Communities through Design and Analysis

Design for projected heat, precipitation, and wind conditions rather than historic baselines.

To do this, design teams need to consider envelopes, shading, and mechanical systems based on projected temperature ranges, humidity shifts, and extreme‑event frequencies. This includes modeling future heat waves, heavier rainfall events, higher wind speeds, and compound hazards so that insulation levels, drainage systems, structural connections, and cooling capacity remain adequate across the building’s full lifespan.

Allow buildings to adjust over time through modular systems, adaptable programs, and upgrade-ready infrastructure.

Buildings should be planned with modular components, accessible service pathways, and adaptable room configurations so they can be reprogrammed or upgraded as climate conditions and community needs evolve. This might include oversizing electrical rooms for future electrification, designing demountable partitions for changing occupancy patterns, or using plug‑and‑play mechanical systems that can be swapped or expanded without major renovation.

Anticipate changing floodplains, wildfire zones, water availability, and urban heat island plumes and patterns to guide long‑term siting and form.

Design teams must evaluate how climate change will alter local hazards and use that information to shape massing, orientation, landscape buffers, and material choices. This could mean elevating structures above future flood levels, creating defensible space in fire‑prone areas, prioritizing drought‑tolerant water systems, or designing forms and surfaces that mitigate heat exposure for occupants and surrounding public space.