cc: tyn.rt2@uea.ac.uk date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 11:14:35 +0100 from: geoff.levermore@umist.ac.uk subject: Suggestions for Tyndal Phase II research questions to: simon.shackley@umist.ac.uk, kevin.anderson@umist.ac.uk, S.mander@umist.ac.uk, brian.launder@umist.ac.uk Some question below (also attached) for Phase II. Apologies if I've not responded to earlier emails on this but 146 of my unopened emails were lost due to disk corruption. Adaptable urban environment, buildings and infrastructure for a comfortable, healthy future. Theme 3 questions (relating also to Theme 2) Following on from our Tyndall IT1.8 “climate and buildings” project it is clear that most existing buildings will become uncomfortable. Discomfort turned to unhealthy and deadly last summer in France with 15,000 deaths. This could be the future in the UK unless we adapt. What are the health implications of not adapting? What are the costs and benefits of adapting? (Health could be another topic.) Buildings and the built or urban environment is therefore a good topic for adaptation as the lifetimes are long. Will adaptation of both buildings, urban space and people occur? What are the costs and benefits of adapting? Adaptive comfort theory is emerging where it is assumed that the dress code is relaxed in offices and people can open windows and move to cooler areas etc. Will people adapt by installing portable air conditioning (which will increase CO2 emissions)? What are the socio- economic drivers for air conditioning and other measures (solar shading etc) and how much can comfort be regarded as a social construct? Can buildings be adapted with passive options (shading etc)? Adaptive controls can also be developed but will the manufacturers market them? On a wider scale can we adapt the existing urban environment? Trees, green roofs, more green spaces, urban syntax, shape. Will people share communal heating and electricity? How adaptable is the existing heating, cooling and low voltage distribution infrastructure for communal schemes? How adaptable are existing buildings for photovoltaic, solar heating panels, thermal storage and wind generators (this is overlapping mitigation)? Will local working and shopping to reduce travel be acceptable? Other questions follow on from the SPRU project on the adaptability of the house builders and water industry. How adaptable are the construction industry, the regulatory bodies and the market? What are the costs and benefits of adaptation? Are demolition and new build (mitigation) cheaper options? Adaptation and mitigation often overlap and definitions are required. What are adaptation and mitigation? The urban, built environment topic would be fruitful for adaptation case studies and is amenable to cost benefit analysis and a CO2 vs cost graph mentioned by John Schellnhuber. The London proposal at the Assembly (in Guiding Urban Development) could generate matching contributions from the GLA but it could be overambitious. Adaptation studies on specific topic related to London or other cities (Norwich, Manchester or Southampton) or small urban areas would be deliverable. The above relates to energy and comfort but adapting buildings to subsidence, flooding also needs addressing. Also it is just not buildings but also the built environment infrastructure: roads, rail, sewers, bridges etc. Is adaptation of the built environment infrastructure a topic for consideration? Geoff Levermore, Tyndall North. The following section of this message contains a file attachment prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format. If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any another MIME-compliant system, you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer. If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance. ---- File information ----------- File: Adaptable urban environment, buildings and markets.doc Date: 9 Sep 2004, 10:51 Size: 24576 bytes. Type: Unknown Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\Adaptable urban environment, buildings and markets.doc"