BUILDING SAFETY


Designing a Part O compliant building cannot wait – the time is now


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Ellen Huelin, sustainability director at Whitecode Consulting, assesses the vital need to prevent overheating in buildings through holistic and effective building design. She emphasises how working with sustainability consultants can help architects, designers, energy managers and specifiers incorporate more effective cooling and ventilation into design


ne of the UK’s warmest summers on record means overheating in buildings has come under intense scrutiny in recent months. In fact, the Building


Engineering Services Association (BESA) has called for urgent action to tackle the growing number of overheating buildings, suggesting the rising number of deaths linked to more intense and longer heatwaves is instigating a highly serious building safety issue. Another alarming statistic was revealed by Imperial College London research recently. The report estimated more than 1,147 UK heat- related deaths during the summer were caused by climate change.


When combined with data released by


environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth (FoE), that identified nearly 5,000 neighbourhoods in England now suffer from heat stress, this underscores exactly why energy managers, property managers, building owners and specifiers must look to implement more efficient ventilation and cooling systems into building design as early as possible.


The key impacts of the Part O regulations


Focusing on preventing overheating in new residential buildings, Part O of the Building Regulations addresses solar gain, ventilation and heat removal.


The main aim of the Part O regulations is to ensure the relevant buildings – in this case, homes, care homes, children’s homes and student accommodation – are designed to prevent overheating, especially during hotter months of the year.


Such buildings must have risk assessments undertaken, either by a dynamic thermal model or a simplified method. Those in certain urban areas might be classified as high-risk, due to factors such as reflected heat. As a result, building designers, property developers and architects must incorporate measures to limit solar gain and remove excess heat through utilising shading, mechanical ventilation or cross-ventilation through openings on opposite sides of the building.


What’s causing overheating in buildings?


The UK has seen a significant rise in summer temperatures in recent years. However, with this part of the world more accustomed to colder and milder temperatures, buildings have been designed with these cooler conditions in mind. Indeed, many UK residential and commercial buildings are designed to trap heat to improve insulation and reduce energy expenditure during the winter. Conversely, this is problematic in the summer. The increased instances of overheating in buildings are also likely to be down to insufficient ventilation. It’s worth bearing in mind that many residential properties and public buildings often lack adequate ventilation to prevent heat from building up.


Similarly, while many UK buildings are designed to embrace natural light by having large windows, there can often be a lack of external shading, meaning increased solar heat gain.


Implementing ventilation and cooling early is crucial


During the UK’s increasingly hot summers, utilising cooling and ventilation in any type of residential or commercial building remains


14 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2026


a hugely effective and efficient method of keeping temperatures down. In fact, recent studies have revealed that


productivity and comfort can be substantially boosted simply by maintaining optimal humidity and temperature levels. Keeping temperatures between 20°C and 24°C and humidity between 40% and 60% is reported to boost productivity by more than 10% and enhance decision-making skills and cognitive function.


Additionally, the incidence of asthma,


allergies, headaches and fatigue can all be reduced by ensuring healthy temperature and air quality levels. Therefore, integrating cooling and ventilation early in building design can help lower internal temperatures while also enabling a holistic design approach to ensure architecture and systems are working together to optimise natural ventilation and prevent the risk of costly retrofits in the future.


Reducing heat generated internally


However, implementing cooling and ventilation systems is just the start of the process. It is also highly advisable for energy managers, specifiers, property owners and developers to utilise ways of reducing any heat that’s generated internally. Consequently, this heightens the importance of specifying and incorporating energy efficient heating and lighting systems. For example, replacing traditional bulbs with


more efficient LED lighting enables reduced heat generation. Alongside that, integrating heating and lighting into building controls and automation systems means they can be automated to turn on and off dependent upon occupancy levels and external conditions.


Balancing comfort with aesthetics


As average temperatures rise, the need for increased ventilation gains significance. This means architects and designers must pay close attention to building envelope design and find the perfect balance between aesthetics and comfort.


Integrating cooling and ventilation systems, especially those in demanding residential and commercial environments, can often heavily impact building aesthetics. Consequently, property developers and building designers should look to utilise green roofs to provide additional cooling and insulation benefits and introduce external shading to block direct sunlight from reaching windows. In turn, this will


reduce the level of ventilation required while ensuring aesthetics aren’t compromised during the design. With demand for more energy efficient systems and the need to reduce internal temperatures in residential and commercial buildings across the UK ever-increasing, utilising the expertise and knowledge of MEP design and sustainability consultants, such as Whitecode Consulting, cannot be understated. Overcoming the challenge of overheating in buildings will require a truly holistic approach; not just in regard to building design but also from architects, energy managers, consultants, designers and property owners. However, finding a solution will help ensure a brighter, greener, and cooler, built environment now and in the future.


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