Climate Change’s Secret Toll on Buildings

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.

Cement, calking, steel and wood frameworks, virtually any part of a building is designed to remain viable within certain environmental ranges. Construction in a given geographic area will use materials and methods proven to work within normal condition ranges and perhaps an additional stretch to accommodate the occasional environmental excursion.

But any material or construction process can be pushed beyond its designed capabilities. Concrete and masonry can crack with enough temperature variations. Think of sidewalks that eventually crack under normal conditions. Increase the stress and you increase the weathering. Atmospheric heat in sufficient amounts will wreak havoc on siding or roofs. Invasive moisture can damage internal materials and enable other adverse conditions like mold or mildew.

According to the fifth revised national climate assessment, “Climate change is amplifying existing loads and stressors on the built environment, and this is expected to continue.” The assessment follows this with the phrases “virtually certain” and “very high confidence.”

The nature of the built environment itself can increase adverse effects. Cities trap heat through commonly used materials, building density, layout, and size. They create additional heat from human activity — air conditioning for one increases outdoor heat because the devices are heat pumps that cool a space by pushing the interior heat outside.

Climate change also affects the process of construction. An Air Force Institute of Technology study found that adverse weather delays 45% of construction projects worldwide, a trend that is likely to continue, adding expenses and lowering revenue.

Weather extremes affect not only materials and construction but also machinery like HVAC systems to heat and cool buildings. Equipment works harder, breaks down more often, and consumes more power.