From flash floods to soaring summer temperatures, the effects of climate change are undeniable.

Homeowners will no doubt already be aware of the major problems climate change can cause. Aside from homes being destroyed by floods, cyclones, storms or erosion, climate change is also causing those located in dangerous areas to struggle to sell their homes. Property values have also decreased and many are unable to obtain home insurance.

But while it can all feel like doom and gloom, innovative architects and designers from around the world are tackling the issues head-on, devising some incredible solutions to protect us and our homes and changing the way we build for the better.

Click or scroll on as we take a deep dive into what climate change is and how the latest developments are shaping the future of property design…

National Geographic defines climate change as a “long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns” which is causing less predictable and more extreme weather events around the world.

NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) suggests that Earth’s temperature has risen by 0.08°C (0.14°F) per decade since 1880, but the rate of warming since 1981 is more than twice that, at 0.18°C (0.32°F) per decade.

Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005 and as temperatures rise, our polar ice caps and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, causing rising sea levels, flooding and coastal land erosion. So, what’s causing climate change? 

Sadly, the changes can mostly be ascribed to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. The United Nations states: “Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.”

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and methane, which can come from the oil we put in our cars, modern farming practices including meat production, air travel, heavy industry and more – exacerbated by the clearing of forests to make way for crops.

As a result of our increasing emissions, the last decade (between 2011 and 2020) was the warmest on record. These rising temperatures don’t just impact the weather, either.

Climate change also affects biodiversity and crops, the latter of which puts a strain on the global food supply and threatens the livelihoods of millions of people around the world, our health, safety, income and, of course, our homes. 

Certain corners of the world have been experiencing the devastating impact of climate change for many years. Those living in small island nations and developing countries with limited resources have already seen the shocking impact of rising sea levels and erosion.

Pakistan has, for many years, faced some of the world’s most extreme weather events. According to Foreign Policy, Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of global carbon emissions but is among the most vulnerable countries in the world.

From summer monsoons to extreme droughts, Pakistan has faced destroyed farmland and the displacement of eight million people. The country’s economic losses have been estimated to be £32 billion ($40b). 

The question of how richer, polluting countries should help poorer countries with their climate struggles was a big topic at COP27, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Many believe low-polluting countries that are affected by climate change are owed reparations, in the form of aid, for their losses.

China generates around 30% of all global emissions and the United States is responsible for almost 14%. Between 2016 and 2022, America experienced 122 separate billion-dollar weather or climate disasters, according to the NOAA. These incidents have led to $1 trillion (£792bn) in damages.

In 2022, there were 14 named storms recorded in the North Atlantic Basin alone, reaching a historical average, while the rest of the country endured prolonged droughts leading to devastating wildfires, tornadoes and flooding. 

One of the country's most devastating events took place in September 2022, when Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. The state's coastline was battered with 150mph winds and the National Hurricane Center gave evacuation orders to millions of residents.

In nearby Cuba, there were sweeping power outages, as well as extensive damage, floods and even loss of life. Then, in July 2023, heavy rain in the northeast resulted in flooding in states including New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

Vermont received two months’ worth of rain in just a few days. The flooding destroyed homes, businesses, roads and bridges. A major dam was just inches away from capacity. The state was hit again by heavy rain on 3 August 2023, with one month of rain falling in just a few hours, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. 

The flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, sadly killed six people, after the area received around seven inches of rain in under an hour.

Sadly, it isn't just hurricanes and flash flooding that America has to worry about. In recent years wildfires have devasted parts of the country, destroying homes and even leading to insurance companies refusing to sell coverage to homeowners.

Alaska is the most wildfire-prone state in the US and recent statistics show that over 595 individual wildfires burned in the state in 2022, consuming nearly 3.1 million acres. 

In 2018, The Woolsey Fire burned in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, destroying more than 1,600 structures, including luxury beachside homes in the celebrity enclave of Point Dume, Malibu.

Other risky places to live in the US include Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and Atlantic City in New Jersey, both of which are among the most hurricane-prone places in America, as well as Cape Coral, Florida, which has more homes at substantial risk of flooding than any other place in the country, according to a 2020 study. 

Other areas prone to extreme rainfall, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes or storm surges include New Orleans, Newport in Oregon and Moore, Oklahoma. 

And it isn't just America that's suffering. In 2023, Canada experienced the worst wildfire season in its history, with fires in Quebec made at least seven times more likely thanks to climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution Group.

Scientists found that the burning of fossil fuels made the total severity of Quebec's 2023 fire season around 50% more intense. 35 million acres of land burned, an area larger than Greece.

Since 1 January 2023, there have been 1,006 wildfires recorded in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, which has destroyed almost 50 million acres of land. This image shows wildfire smoke filling the air in nearby Calgary.

In 2022, the UK experienced an unprecedented summer, with temperatures soaring to above 40°C (104°F) and rain being conspicuous by its absence. This led to nationwide droughts, a loss of crops and wildfires breaking out across the country.

This image, captured in July 2022, shows the destruction in Wennington, Greater London, following a series of fires that broke out due to the record-breaking heat. Many other countries in Europe, including France, suffered from extreme summer temperatures in 2022.

Over in Australia, floods and bushfires are more common than ever. In 2020, the country was hit by the most catastrophic bushfire season in its history, according to the WWF. Up to 47 million acres were burnt, including much-needed crops and forest land. The season was responsible for the loss of 34 lives and more than 3,500 homes.

Then, in January 2023, Western Australia was struck by heavy rainfall, causing communities to be stranded and leaving hundreds of people in need of evacuation. 

In September 2023, Australia's weather bureau confirmed that an El Niño weather pattern was underway, resulting in hot and dry conditions that could lead to drought and a severe wildfire season. El Niño is typically associated with warming ocean surface temperatures and the climate pattern occurs, on average, every two to seven years, generally lasting for between nine and 12 months.

Despite September being early spring in Australia, the country has experienced unseasonable heat, leading experts to fear that this summer will be hotter than normal "and certainly hotter than the last three years". 

Climate change isn't just causing temperatures to rise, either. Various parts of the world have experienced unprecedented snow storms and plummeting temperatures, including countries not previously prepared for such weather events, such as India and the Middle East.

In 2021, a freak winter storm hit Israel, Syria and Lebanon, with some areas receiving 15cm (6 inches) of snow. In January 2023, parts of northern India experienced a prolonged and severe cold spell, with dense fog and temperatures as low as -6°C (21°F).

According to a new data forecast from disaster relief charity ShelterBox, if extreme weather events continue to increase at the current rate, we face losing 8.4 million homes a year between now and 2040, which equates to 167 million homes – that's all of the properties currently in America. 

It's predicted that in Cornwall, England alone, 69,000 homes could be lost, which will lead to one in four families being forced to relocate. In fact, in 2018 the Committee on Climate Change warned that about a third of the UK's coastline is in danger of falling into the sea.

In 2019, US science organisation Climate Central published research showing that 150 million people are currently living on land that will be below the high tide line by 2050. It identified cities and areas around the world that could be submerged by water, including Tokyo, Mumbai, New York City, Osaka and London. 

Venice (pictured here) is also at risk of being swallowed by the sea within the next 80 years. In 2019, 80% of the city was under water when the tide reached 187cm (6.1ft) above sea level, causing an estimated €1 billion worth of damage, which equates to £856 million ($1.1b).

Furthermore, extreme levels of heat stress have more than doubled over the past 40 years and it's only expected to continue, according to Colin Raymond of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA's weather forecasters predict that some places, such as South Asia, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, could become unliveable by 2050. 

If we continue to emit greenhouse gases at the current rate, it's estimated that the Earth’s surface temperature will increase by as much as 4.8°C (40.6°F) by the year 2100, according to World Energy.

In response to climate change, Barratt Developments teamed up with The University of Salford, Bellway Homes and leading product manufacturer, Saint-Gobain, to create a £16 million ($20m) laboratory solely to test the effects of climate change on our homes.

Known as Energy House 2.0, the facility was constructed at the University of Salford in Manchester and completed in February 2022. The facility aims to look at how the homes of the future can withstand more extreme weather conditions. 

Partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the incredible lab is the largest research facility of its kind and contains two environmental chambers, each large enough for two real-size detached houses.

The team working at the facility test in tightly controlled conditions, new ways of heating and insulating homes, while cutting water usage and reducing energy bills. With total control over the internal environment, the team can set the indoor temperature as low as -20°C and as high as 40°C.

As well as replicating the climate in 95% of the Earth’s environments, the facility can also simulate extreme heat, heavy rain, solar radiation, gale-force winds and even blizzards, thanks to a snow machine. During each experience, the facility scientists will stress test how the homes perform, providing data on overheating and energy efficiency. 

Usually, it would take years to collect such data, but thanks to the precisely controlled environment, scientists at Energy House 2.0 can gather the data in just a few weeks. It is hoped that the results will inform the industry about how we can build greener homes that are cheaper to run and comfortable all year round – no matter what the weather.

So, what can we do to protect ourselves and our homes? Well, luckily there are ingenious architects and companies around the world coming up with innovative design solutions to help our homes withstand everything from bushfires to hurricanes.

There are some simple modifications that can be made to a typical two-storey home to counter the effects of flooding, overheating and the spread of infectious diseases. While a green roof could reduce heat penetration, positioning electrical sockets higher up on walls will guard against flood damage. But this is only the tip of the iceberg...

Choosing to build with alternative materials could also help protect our homes. Rammed earth walls, for example, are formed from compressed layers of soil, sand, gravel and clay, and are known for their high thermal mass.

They also absorb, store and release heat, meaning the interior remains naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter, with a small fraction of the energy required for a conventional home. This is an ideal building material for corners of the globe that experience extreme hot and cold spells.

Then there are specific homes and design plans that have been shaped to counter a specific issue. This property, for example, lies on the banks of the River Loddon, in Berkshire, UK. Classified as a Flood Zone 3b area, with a potential flood depth of 3.8 feet, the area might sound like the worst place to build a house, but John Pardey Architects took on the challenge.

They opted to elevate the home, known as Narula House, 6.5 feet above the predicted climate change flood level, using a series of stilts. Should the river burst its banks, the property will be safe from harm.

But what about homes located in areas prone to hurricanes or severe storms? Well, the experts at Deltec Homes have spent the last 50 years designing and engineering homes that can withstand the harshest of weather conditions.

Their properties have stood against some of the most detrimental storms in history, including direct hits from hurricanes Sandy and Katrina. Their design method takes into account five key aspects: house shape, engineering, materials, connections and sustainability.

A round house shape means wind can’t build up enough pressure on any side to cause a structural failure, while a 6/12 roof pitch of around 26.57 degrees helps with wind deflection and reduction. Structurally, radial floor and roof trusses work like spokes on a wheel for added support and are twice as strong as typical framing material. Exterior plywood sheathing and reinforced windows prevent flying debris from penetrating the structure.

This amazing image shows how a Deltec structure is still standing, while other less sturdy homes have been carried away by the wind. If more homes in the riskiest places to live in America were designed in this way, we could potentially mitigate the damage caused by extreme weather events like hurricanes, cyclones and twisters. People could live in these currently at-risk areas knowing their homes and possessions will be safe.

There are plenty of architects and modular house companies around the world, all crafting moveable homes that can simply be relocated elsewhere in the event of a sudden weather emergency.

Not positioned on permanent foundations, these ingenious movable homes can often be lifted onto the back of a lorry and moved elsewhere. The KODA cabin by Kodasema, for example, can be assembled in just a few hours and moved to another location with relative ease.

This award-winning tiny home lies close to a beach in New Zealand, within a designated erosion zone. To fulfil the area's planning conditions, Crosson Architects had to ensure that the home could be towed out of harm's way if needed. They came up with the innovative solution of placing it on wooden sleds.

It's also self-sustaining and boasts retractable walls that protect the interior whenever it's shifted to a new position. By making a house movable, previously uninhabitable places suddenly become viable pieces of land.

So what about homes located in areas prone to bushfires and extreme heat? Well, the National Fire Protection Association in the US has released guidance. It suggests regularly cleaning gutters of dead leaves and debris that could catch fire, replacing loose or missing roof tiles, installing metal mesh screening to eaves and vents to reduce embers and replacing damaged window screens to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating. Finally, flammable materials, such as mulch and firewood piles, should be stored away from homes. 

While this preventative approach is great for certain parts of the world, others require more extreme measures. This bushfire-proof home was designed by architects Ian Weir and Kylie Feher for a professional firefighter.

Located inside a eucalyptus forest in Western Australia, an area known for its wildfires, the pad was built from industrial-grade materials that can withstand a Bushfire Attack Level of BAL40, one of the highest measures possible. It has extra-robust shutters and fireproof masonry walls and insulation.

The Glass Pavilion in Andalusia, Spain is another fantastic example of how architecture can respond to our climate needs. It's positioned in the middle of the Gorafe Desert, one of Europe's most ruthless environments, where temperatures can soar over 40°C (104°F).

The Pavilion was designed by OFIS Arhitekti to withstand extreme heat and solar glare, thanks to insulated Guardian SunGuard glass, which cleverly filters solar radiation and is extremely tough, meaning the building can withstand ferocious winds.

Then there's this tsunami-proof home in Washington, USA. Positioned in an extreme flood zone on Camano Island, it was crafted by Designs Northwest Architects to withstand high-velocity tsunami waves, 85 mph winds and Zone D earthquakes.

Covering three floors, the house features a lower level with walls and windows that break away in the event of a storm surge. The so-called "Flood Room" (pictured here), protects the main residence from deadly flooding but doubles as an idyllic living space.

Then there are homes located in harsh environments where extreme winds and sub-zero temperatures can make daily living very difficult. Known as The Arctic Hideaway, this tiny cabin lies on the Norwegian island of Fleinvær, in the heart of the Arctic Circle.

Designed by TYIN Tegnestue Architects, the retreat is exposed to extreme weather all year round, so it was raised off the ground using steel and orientated to face the wind, allowing it to brace itself against powerful gusts.

Furthermore, custom-built bunkers are becoming more popular, as people around the world prepare to protect themselves from everything from nuclear attacks to deadly storms.

These billionaire bunkers boast everything from extra-thick, steel-reinforced concrete walls, to impenetrable blast-proof doors, deadbolt locking systems, bullet-proof windows, air-filtration systems and climate-controlled indoor gardens, where food can be grown inside. Though not accessible to the everyman, these bunkers are becoming more commonplace.

Aside from crafting innovative homes like these, we also need to take an altogether different approach when it comes to the construction of new houses. Essentially, our homes need to use less energy. 

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) suggests that as of now, new buildings should have excellent airtightness, ventilation with heat recovery, high levels of insulation, triple glazing and a timber frame, following German Passive House standards, if possible.

Together, these aspects of home design address energy efficiency and reduce overheating and moisture risk, while also improving indoor air quality, suggests Will South, a Passivhaus Certifier and a member of RIBA's Sustainable Futures Expert Advisory Group. 

By taking a considered and proactive approach to homebuilding, our homes will be able to respond to the global emergency and could even slow down or stop the damaging effects of climate change. But we must act now...

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