Research to consider the costs and benefits to designers and builders of measures to increase the resilience of new developments to high temperatures and localised flooding

Description

The objective of this project is to collect evidence on the factors that influence decisions by designers and builders on whether to include adaptation measures into new buildings, including if relevant the real and perceived costs and benefits of incorporating those measures. In the context of this study, ‘costs’ and ‘benefits’ should be interpreted broadly, and more widely than monetary measures. This project should focus on understanding what factors drive decision making and is not meant to be a full cost-benefit analysis. The ‘costs’ to designers and builders can include, for example: - Direct costs of materials and labour - Indirect costs such as adaptation measures conflicting with other design aspects of the building (e.g. the desire to decrease solar gain conflicting with the aesthetic desire for large south-facing windows) - Consumer perceptions or requirements for design features where these go against the incorporation of adaptation measures. - Post-build costs associated with having to make alterations to buildings under warranty where performance issues arise, or costs associated with the risk of possible litigation. The ‘benefits’ to designers and builders can include, for example: - Achieving higher property values - Complying with building regulations or other standards - Achieving a level of design quality to meet a certain level of certification, for example EPC or BREEAM - Reputational gains - Consumer perceptions of design features where these value the incorporation of adaptation measures. The specific aims of this project are to: 1. Through a series of targeted interviews and/or a survey, understand the costs and benefits that house designers and builders associate with including adaptation measures to protect against overheating, internal flooding, and surface water drainage issues in new homes and public/commercial buildings. 2. Assess the types of adaptation measures considered by house designers and builders, and whether assessment and perception of related costs and benefits varies by type of adaptation measure. A list of possible adaptation measures is attached an annex A. 3. Assess whether there are other, real or perceived, non-financial barriers to adaptation measures being adopted. 4. Assess the extent to which designers and builders would view the ASC’s recommendations from its 2015 report as an additional burden or incentive, and why.