Resilient cooling towards climate change adaptation of cities and buildings

ResCool is targeting an advanced building energy simulation to consider the thermal interactions with urban microclimate under climate change scenarios, aiming at supporting the climate-resilient design of cities under growing heatwaves. The effects of heatwaves in cities are one of the most critical overlooked issues of our time.

They will occur more often and last longer, increasing the likelihood of severe and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems.

The objectives of this project are the development and validation of a holistic and reliable methodology to evaluate the heat vulnerability of cities; the identification of the climate-related hazards and risks of reference urban contexts in Europe; the selection of the best available climate-resilient solutions to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity of cities; and the development of a climate-resilient cooling action plan and a decision-support tool for the sustainable development of urban planning policies.

The project’s core research is divided into five work packages (WP). WP1 develops a bottom-up evaluation workflow of urban contexts facing climate change scenarios.

WP2 validates this methodology thought data collection in two representative urban case studies in the United Kingdom and Spain. WP3 evaluates the heat vulnerabilities and climate risks of representative urban contexts.

WP4 carries out a parametric analysis of resilient cooling strategies to highlight the best available solutions under climate change scenarios.

Finally, WP5 uses the collected results to develop a tool to support the climate-resilient pathway by policymakers and authorities.

The results will derive in context-specific policy recommendations and how governments can best incentivise, govern and regulate low-carbon and effective resilient cooling chains, improving urban planning policies, building standards and guidelines in order to ensure the health and wellbeing of citizens.