Thermal Stress Vulnerability and Resilience: Housing Stock Transformation fit for an Ageing Society in Future Climate

Facing changing climates and more extreme weather events, there is increasing concern about the likelihood of increasing cooling energy demands, leading to occupants' indoor thermal discomfort, heat-related illness and even mortality. This is particularly important to urban dwellers, considering the compounding effects of ageing population, intensified urban heat islands, and increased frequency of urban heatwave episodes. Over the past two decades, many studies have investigated regional climate change impacts on building energy demands. However, few studies have been carried out which quantify the potential location-specific impacts on urban dwellings' thermal stress. Also, fewer efforts have been made in the large-scale urban context to deploy passive design strategies, adaptive and resilient to climate change according to quantified local demands. This has potential impacts for decarbonising policy in response to climate change factors and in improving urban dwellings' liveability. Successful dwelling stock management will therefore be enhanced by improving understanding of where and how energy demands can be reduced to lower thermal stress vulnerability for city dwellers.

As a social scientific piece of work, my completed doctoral research formed a well-integrated methodology of how an engineering approach to quantifying climate change impacts on urban dwellings can influence and inform practice impact, such as building adaptation design resilient to climate change. This included identification of where action is required to minimize potential thermal risk and what, where and how adaptation and mitigation strategies could be developed for specific urban neighbourhoods. A key finding from my PhD thesis was that all urban dwellings are exposed to the likelihood of outdoor and building indoor thermal stress, but importantly the level of the risk varied by neighbourhood depending on occupants related socio-economic and demographic factors. Thus, building adaptation design strategies must be developed location-specifically, according to the quantified potential risk level for each neighbourhood identified.

It is now my aim to consolidate this research with a programme of work focused on dissemination, engagement, and impact. This will be achieved via written pieces for a range of specific audiences in the form of journal papers, drawing on different dimensions of the research. I will also present my research at three major local and international conferences to broaden the academic reach of my research. Furthermore, during the fellowship I will be working alongside groups of people in Sheffield City Region with specific interests and needs, such as social housing and the older people who are vulnerable to changing climates. I will undergo collaborative engagement activities to address 'what are the specific needs of their community' in terms of improving their indoor thermal liveability through deploying adaptive passive design strategies resilient to climate change. These activities aim to build on my own relationship and networks with academia and housing policy and practice through utilising a well-known community platform (i.e. 'Live Projects' managed by Sheffield School of Architecture) and an existing multidisciplinary partnership between academia, housing policy and practice (i.e. the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence).