Building performance and climate change

Abstract

The definition of energy efficiency and thermal comfort requires reworking in the current context of climate change and a carbon-constrained world. This elevates the importance of building performance, which can integrate both concepts in pursuit of current sustainability objectives. However, the gains made through improvements to building performance may not offset impacts from neither population growth nor more importantly, it is argued the increase in affluence of that population. These higher-level factors above building performance in world governance could be addressed at a global level with flow on standards for improved building performance.