Design for Future Climate: Adapting Buildings Competition

15th June 2011

The Technology Strategy Board have now launched a competition to fund the development of strategies to adapt UK buildings to the changing climate.

They will invest up to £2.4m this year in a repeat of the 2010 competition, in which they invested £2.5m. The programme will be delivered by the Low Impact Building Innovation Platform, which is part of a broader focus on sustainability and low carbon innovation at the Technology Strategy Board.

The construction industry is already working to make buildings more energy efficient, but expected changes in the climate over the next 100 years mean that we will need to adapt our existing and new buildings if they are to cope.

There is a significant market opportunity for design teams to develop climate adaptation services to respond to forthcoming changes in standards and regulations.

They are inviting proposals from clients or their design teams to develop adaptation strategies for current new build and refurbishment projects at pre-planning or detailed design stage, or those already on site. For design team applicants, contracts for the building project should already be in place between the company applying and the client.

The Technology Strategy Board will award contracts for up to £100k to cover the total costs of developing an adaptation strategy. Design teams will do this by exploring five questions in depth. At the end of the contract, applicants must submit a detailed report of their data, designs and findings, for dissemination by the Technology Strategy Board.

They are inviting applications from single companies only, which will subcontract work to other partners as necessary.

Applicants must submit with their proposal a letter of intent from the client expressing a commitment to participate fully in the design process and to consider implementing recommendations.

Applicants should plan to start work after 30 September 2011 and must complete the work by 31 August 2013. The deadline for registration is 29th June 2011.

For more information, please see the document below.