SUSTAINABILITY
Are hospitals ready for rising temperatures?
This summer’s three official heatwaves highlighted how unprepared many UK buildings are for extreme temperatures. While warmer weather may be welcome to some, for many it poses serious health risks. Hospitals, where safeguarding vulnerable people is paramount, are particularly exposed. Ola Bialas, Principal Sustainability consultant at Hoare Lea, explores how UK hospitals must adapt to rising temperatures, balancing patient safety, energy use and climate resilience.
We are in the state of a climate emergency, and disruptive climate events will occur more often, and will become more severe. By 2070, the Met Office projects three potential climate scenarios for the UK: n around 4°C warmer in winter and up to 30% wetter n around 6°C warmer in summer and up to 60% drier n hot summer days will become around 7°C warmer
The Met Office also predicts that heatwaves will be more frequent, persistent, and intense. People living in cities will be most affected, as the ‘urban heat island effect’ will amplify the temperatures experienced. Densely populated urban areas can be up to 10-15°C warmer than the countryside1
– a concerning statistic, especially when you
consider that, in the next 25 years, it’s likely that more than 80% of European populations will live in cities. By 2050, the number of heat-related deaths in the
UK is projected to rise to 10,000 a year, from around 2,000 per year currently. Overheating also affects mental health, maternal health, and increases risks of injuries and accidents. So, how will patients in hospitals be safe from the effects of overheating?
Hot hospitals As part of a wider report from Hoare Lea for the UKGBC Climate Resilience Roadmap, analysis showed that many existing UK hospitals will be at severe risk of overheating due to their type, age and design.2
In the optimistic Met
Office global warming scenario, this equates to around two weeks every summer when temperatures in the spaces occupied by staff and patients are expected to exceed 28°C. In the more likely, higher emissions warming scenario, this would be up to four weeks. Everyone present would be affected by that, with patients experiencing an uncomfortable environment, and additional health risks tied directly to increased temperatures. It would also affect healthcare staff. Doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, who already perform difficult and demanding jobs, would need to deal with additional heat-related risks, whilst caring for vulnerable patients. During heatwaves, worker productivity is expected to drop across many industries, but the healthcare sector carries very distinct pressures that don’t allow room for error. Human life is on the line. Healthcare buildings come in many different forms.
They differ from one another in terms of occupancy and use, as well as the geometry of the building and its various properties. Healthcare buildings built after 2000 are mainly purpose-built, with the building properties in line with the Building Regulations issued at the time. Prior to the year 2000, healthcare buildings were
mainly large-scale developments that could be split into two groups: pre-World War II, and post war (which is often represented by a nucleus hospital layout). Modern healthcare buildings (post 2000) typically have large, double-glazed windows, which comprise of many casements, to allow part of the window panels to be permanently closed, and some panels openable for natural ventilation. Buildings built between 1945 and 1999 tend to be
fitted with large windows, which provide a high glazing ratio, and often come with a fixed panel on the bottom of the window, and openable casement at the top half. In pre-World War II buildings, windows are often arranged in ‘bays’ and are single-glazed, sash openings.
Creating natural ventilation Window opening restrictors in healthcare buildings, schools, care homes, and public buildings can be a cause of overheating because they restrict natural ventilation. The openings are typically set to be no more than 100 mm for safety reasons, but in many cases, the openings are much
Older healthcare buildings (1945-1970)
Location
Climate change
Passive Baseline projection Low (2°C) Cardiff
Medium (3°C) High (4°C) Low (2°C)
Glasgow
Medium (3°C) High (4°C) Low (2°C)
Leeds
Medium (3°C) High (4°C) Low (2°C)
London
Medium (3°C) High (4°C) Low (2°C)
Nottingham Medium (3°C) High (4°C)
Low (2°C) Swindon
Medium (3°C) High (4°C)
Medium/high Medium
Medium/high Low/medium
Medium Medium High/v.high
Very high Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme
Medium/high High
Extreme
Very high Very high Extreme
Low Medium
Low Low
Low Low
Medium Medium High
Extreme Extreme Extreme Medium
Medium/high High
Medium
High High
– Low
Low/medium –
Low Low
Low Low
Low/medium
Medium High
Very high Low
Low/medium Medium
Low/medium Low/medium Medium
Very high Very high
High High High
Very high Very high Very high
Extreme Extreme Extreme
Very high Very high
V. high/extreme Very high
V. high/extreme V. high/extreme V. high/extreme
Low
Low/medium Low Low Low
Low Low
Low/medium Medium
High/v.high Very high Low Low
Low/medium Low
Low/medium
Medium Medium
– –
Low –
– –
Low
Low Low
Low
Low/medium Low
– –
Low Low
– Low/medium
adaptation retrofit
Table 1: Overheating risk analysis for healthcare buildings in different UK locations.
Comparison of baseline overheating risk with improvements for passive and active adaptation measures New build Passive
Overheating risk analysis for healthcare buildings Active
adaptation retrofit
Baseline
adaptation retrofit
Active
adaptation retrofit
October 2025 Health Estate Journal 61
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