Building stock’s vulnerability to summer overheating and strategies for improving its resilience trough codes, standards and practices

Abstract

The main objective ofthis paper is to study the resilience of current Spanish residential building stock to climate change impacts. Results showed that 72% of current residential building stock in Spain is not performing properly according to current climate conditions. During the 1981 - 201 O period, mean annual degree days based at l 5ºC diminished in 74% of Spanish provincial capitals, with an average rate decrease of 10.1 % in relation to the 1950-1979 period. Significant accelerating positive trends in cooling degree days and important decreases in heating degree days were found in the twenty-first century. Strategies and measures to support climate change adaptation of existing and future built environments through building codes and standards have also been explored.