UK Green Building Council Sounds Alarm: Millions of British Buildings Unfit for Extreme Weather
- Hanaa Siddiqi
- Jun 29
- 2 min read

The UK Green Building Council is sounding the alarm: millions of homes, schools, offices, and care facilities across the country are simply not built to withstand the growing threats posed by climate change. In a report being released later today titled UK Climate Resilience Roadmap, the Council calls for urgent, large-scale action, stating plainly that the nation should treat climate resilience as a national emergency.
This roadmap lays out a strategy to future-proof buildings in a world facing more frequent heatwaves, floods, and severe storms. Without timely intervention, the report warns that the risks to human health and safety, from injury to illness and even death, will rise sharply.
"The UK is not ready for the extreme weather events of today, even less so for the hotter, wetter and wilder climate that is already racing down the track at us," said UKGBC chief executive Simon McWhirter.
"Our homes, schools, hospitals, parks and offices are on the frontline, protecting and nurturing us," he continued. "We need a fundamental rethink if we are to help protect people and our way of life."
Through thermodynamic modelling, the Council found that even in a relatively modest warming scenario, where global temperatures increase by two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, London and the Southeast could see schools facing extreme heat for around 10 weeks a year, with indoor temperatures hitting 28 degrees Celsius or higher.
Residential buildings won't fare much better. Around six million homes and flats in those regions could endure at least three weeks of similar heat annually, while care homes might see extreme heat conditions lasting up to four weeks. Alarmingly, newer office buildings are even more vulnerable to overheating, due to their glass-heavy designs and lightweight construction materials.
To reduce the risks, the UKGBC is proposing several practical solutions. These include adding solar shading to buildings, swapping out traditional glass for solar-control glass, and favouring passive cooling methods over energy-hungry air conditioning systems.
But overheating isn’t the only issue. The report also flags the growing danger of floods, droughts, wildfires, and high-impact storms. It warns that some towns, including Peterborough and Fairbourne, may become uninhabitable by the end of this century if flood risks aren’t addressed.
To prepare for this future, the Council suggests creating a dedicated Office for Resilience within the Cabinet Office. It also recommends embedding climate safety into the UK’s planning system and ensuring that new developments protect green infrastructure like trees, parks, and ponds. Future housing should be designed with climate threats in mind and a comprehensive retrofit strategy should be rolled out to upgrade existing buildings for the realities of a warmer world.
Creative and even unconventional solutions are already being explored. For example, some experts have suggested painting yoghurt on windows to reflect sunlight and reduce indoor heat. Others, like Arup’s Dima Zogheib, highlight the potential of urban tree planting, not just to beautify cities, but to save lives. With the right action, thousands of heat-related deaths could be prevented.
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