78 CLIMATE CHANGE
IT SEEMS THAT wherever in the world you are, climate troubles are increasing. ‘A few years ago it was a future problem – now everyone can see that the issue is not just climate change but the weather events that are happening as a result,’ says Anica Landreneau, HOK’s global head of sustainability. ‘I’m based in Washington DC and we are seeing extreme temperatures including heatwaves that cause derecho storms with hurricane-strength wind and hundreds of lightning strikes an hour.’ For Dr Emna Bchir, architect and
professor at the National School of Architecture & Urbanism in Tunis, it is extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, heatwaves and erratic rainfall, leading to alternating episodes of flooding and drought, that are hitting her country the hardest. ‘Te UN considers there is water
stress when annual water supplies fall below 1,700m3
have 500m3 just 350m3
per person. In Tunisia, we used to , but that has now dropped to , which is defined as absolute
water scarcity.’ The cost of not adequately preparing
for extreme weather events is huge. Te Association of British Insurers announced that 2023 brought record-breaking claims for weather damage, with the industry having to pay out £4.86bn, the equivalent of £13m every day, to cover business and homeowners’ claims for damage caused by high winds, flooding and freezing pipes. In other parts of the world it can be far, far worse – the severe storms in the US last year cost the country $182.7bn and nearly 600 lives, while the 2023 heatwave in France, one of the hottest summers on record, caused around 5,000 deaths.
With the stakes being so high, it’s not
surprising that architects and engineers are working hard to mitigate the problems, and while some are turning to technology, others are finding inspiration in much older solutions.
Feeling the heat Bchir recently addressed COP29 as part of her role as co-director of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) Sustainability Commission, but is frustrated at the slow pace of international action and the lack of ambitious follow-through. At home, she is working with the UIA on a book called Wisdom of Tradition, which is advocating for the dynamic use of vernacular architecture to enhance traditional methods of climate adaptation, making them contemporary and more widely adopted by local populations.
PROJECT THE HÔTEL KSAR ROUGE
The Hôtel Ksar Rouge in Tozeur embraces the wisdom of vernacular architecture, combining patios, mud walls, graceful vaults, and cooling fountains. Light-filtering screens create a subtle interplay of light and shadow. These elements blend timeless tradition with contemporary elegance, resulting in a sanctuary of fresh, clean air that rises above the desert heat.
Architect Tarak Ben Miled International
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