Housing and Climate Change-related Disasters: A Study on Architectural Typology and Practice

Abstract

Climate change has become one of the greatest challenges in the XXI century. Complete picture of this phenomenon can be formed only by understanding the meaning and scope of both combating methods - mitigation and adaptation. A lot of attention in recent time has been given to residential architecture that contributes to climate change mitigation. On the other hand, adaptation refers to design approaches that are closely connected to the term 'resilience'. By reviewing various architectural examples, this paper studies and classifies housing units that alleviate social implications of climate change-related disasters caused by extreme weather conditions. By comparing these new examples with common everyday practice and the overall socio-environmental context, it can be concluded that there is a need for systemic solutions which integrate both sustainable and climate-resilient design.