Built Environment Adaptation & Resilience (BEAR)

DESNZ is seeking to procure a supplier(s) to deliver a research programme to build the policy-relevant evidence base for adaptation action in the built environment to enable a building stock and built environment more resilient to future climate hazards.

It will include research on:

Adaptation metrics and indicators for the built environment

Quantifying effectiveness of adaptation retrofits for buildings

Identify opportunities to embed resilience in our built environment while we decarbonise.

Mapping out adaptation pathways for the built environment.

Understanding role of nature-based and urban planning solutions.

Learning from international best practice to inform UK evidence and policy design.

The programme will focus on building the required evidence base, translating existing evidence alongside new analysis and data collection and modelling to support adaptation action in the built environment. A knowledge transfer and integration work package will provide agile policy support, and facilitate co-development of outputs.

The programme will require expertise on climate risk and adaptation in the built environment, and should take a multi-disciplinary approach to consider implications for energy, built environment, public health, and economic factors. Methods could include literature reviews, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, field trial design and analysis, building simulation, spatial analysis, predictive scenario modelling, and knowledge integration and dissemination.

DESNZ anticipates a consortium of suppliers will be needed to cover the breadth of skills required, which may include professional expertise in building services engineering, civil engineering architecture, surveying, planning, public health, economics, climate science, behavioural science, data science, and GIS.

Outputs will likely include reports, data and models, interactive decision support tools, case studies, teach-ins, and on-call briefings and scientific support. Key outputs will be published on gov.uk. The research and outputs will be co-designed with policy focal points to ensure policy relevance and will have built-in flexibility to respond to emerging policy needs.