Warnings about climate change have been common in commercial real estate, as Hurricanes Helene and Milton have reminded all. High winds, storm surge and flooding, vast destruction, loss of life, buildings damaged and destroyed — and that doesn't cover the problems of wildfires, tornadoes, landslides, and more.

However, more subtle and ongoing problems are taking a toll on all manners of construction. Changing conditions can bring forces that a building was never designed for. As Bloomberg put it, there's an "insidious, slow-motion damage triggered by weather that no longer matches the conditions for which the built environment was built."

Glasgow, Scotland saw an example in 2018, as the BBC reported. A science center had a stainless steel roof with a waterproof membrane. But one day turned out to be the hottest in the city's history. The membrane material began to melt and drip down the side of the roof.