Does the sustainable building assessment tool address resilience sufficiently?

Abstract

Climate change is already having significant impacts globally. These impacts are experienced most acutely in developing countries where infrastructure and population are often more vulnerable and resources and capacity for adaptation are limited. It is therefore particularly important to understand vulnerabilities to climate change in developing countries and address these in the most effective and efficient ways possible. The Sustainable Building Assessment Tool (SBAT) was developed to support the integration of sustainability in buildings in developing countries. Through analysis of current climatic change projections for South Africa, key implications for built environments are ascertained. These will reviewed against the SBAT to investigate whether existing criteria adequately address projected climate changes. Findings from the study indicate that while the SBAT provides a robust framework for addressing sustainability, it does not address climate change resilience comprehensively. Recommendations are therefore made for how the SBAT, and other similar tools, could be improved to support climate change better.