Climate Change Adaptation in the Built Environment: Transdisciplinary and Innovative Learning

Global climate change is one of the greatest environmental threats facing humanity and it is affecting every country on every continent. Recent evidence confirms a close liaison between climate change induced hazards and the built environment, as the built environment demonstrates a high fragility and vulnerability to hazardous situations. The impact of climate change is particularly pertinent to the built environment given the life expectancy of buildings and the fact that it is essential to adapt the existing built environment to deal with a climate that may be significantly different from that in which it evolved.  Coastal regions are highly vulnerable to climate change because, in addition to changes in temperature, precipitation, and more frequent flooding, they will be affected by rising sea levels, wave heights, and accelerated coastal erosion. The built environment exerts considerable influence over coastal communities’ local climate and environment. Coastal areas also tend to be highly populated, with many vulnerable urban centres located near the coastal belt. In addressing such challenges, it is important to better understand the impacts of climate change on the built environment and to develop tangible climate adaptation measures for the built environment.

Dr Chamindi Malalgoda

Dr Chamindi Malalgoda is a senior lecturer and the quantity surveying course leader at the Department of Design and Built Environment, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Huddersfield, UK. She is also a member of the University's Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC). Chamindi’s research interests include disaster risk reduction and resilience in the built environment. Chamindi completed her PhD in 2014 on the theme of empowering local governments to make cities resilient to disasters and, since then, has managed several European-funded research projects related to disaster resilience and management. She has led and successfully delivered research grants funded by the Erasmus Plus programme under Strategic Partnerships and International Credit Mobility, including the REGARD (Rebuilding after displacement), which was completed in March 2022 and CCA-DRR (Tackling Climate Change as an Underlying Disaster Risk Driver) which was completed in September 2023. She has contributed to over 40 publications, which include edited books, book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers and various high-impact reports. She is also a reviewer of several international journals in disaster resilience, construction and property management. She recently guest edited a special issue on “Climate change adaptation in the built environment” in the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.

Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga

Prof. Amaratunga a leading international expert in disaster resilience with an extensive academic career that has a strong commitment to encouraging colleagues and students to fulfil their full potential. Currently she is leading University of Huddersfield, UK’s Global Disaster Resilience Centre. She is recognised for her career-long impact up until 2020, and is placed among the global top 2% of influential scientists, according to the report of “Composite Citation Metrics” by Elsevier BV Netherlands and Stanford University, USA, released in August 2021. She has project managed to successful completion a large number of international research projects (over £ 20 million) generating significant research outputs and outcomes. She provides expert advice on disaster resilience to national and local governments and international agencies including the UNDRR. To date, she has produced over 500 publications, refereed papers, and reports, and has made over 100 keynote speeches in around 40 countries. Among many leadership roles, she is the joint chief editor of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. She is a member of the European Commission and UNDRR’s European Science & Technology Advisory Group (ESTAG) representing the UK, a Steering Committee member of the UK Frontiers of Development programme, a Steering Committee member of the UK Alliance for Disaster Research, motivation of which is to bring together the UK’s rich and diverse disaster research community to facilitate collaboration and partnership. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society, and a Fellow and a Chartered Manager of the Chartered Management Institute, UK.

Professor Richard Haigh

Richard Haigh is Professor of Disaster Resilience at the University of Huddersfield, aligned to their School of Appiled Sciences. He is also Co-Director of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre. His research interests include multi-hazard early warning, disaster risk governance and resilience in the built environment. He is the Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment and Co-Founder of the International Conference on Building Resilience series. He is also an expert member of Working Group 1 of Intergovernmental Coordination Group on the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) and was a UK Advocate for the UN campaign on Making Cities Resilient. Since 2014, Richard and his team have secured over 30 external research grants with 288 international partners in 57 countries, with a grant value in excess of £30m. Richard and his team won the 2019 Newton Prize for Indonesia, celebrating best research innovation partnership for the project Mainstreaming Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption Strategies into Coastal Urban Agglomeration Policy. Richard has given over 100 invited speeches and keynote presentations for audiences in twenty-five countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. He has also published over 60 peer reviewed journal articles, 2 edited books, 15 book chapters, and over 20 reports for a variety of stakeholders.

Ms. Shavindree Nissanka

Shavindree Nissanka is a doctoral researcher affiliated to the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC), University of Huddersfield, UK currently reading for her PhD on the use of Financial Incentives for promoting Disaster Resilient Housing. She worked as the lead researcher for the research collaboration BEACON (Built Environment Learning for Climate Adaptation), co-funded by the EU Erasmus programme involving six partner institutions from the UK, Malta, Sweden, Spain, and Sri Lanka). She has also contributed to other research initiatives led by GDRC in the fields of built environment learning for climate adaptation and disaster resilience in smart cities and infrastructure resilience such as developing disaster resilient building codes for Sri Lanka, Development of the Standard Operating Procedures for the Tsunami Early warning system in Sri Lanka and developing a guide for built environment professionals done by GDRC and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). She has presented her work at many international conferences and also has published in the research areas of Disaster Resilient Properties: Built Environment Discourse, disaster Resilient Building Codes in Sri Lanka, Employment challenges in mega construction projects in Sri Lanka and Integration of the Concept of Disaster Resilience for Sustainable Construction. She recently guest edited a special issue on “Climate change adaptation in the built environment” in the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.

Prof. Nishara Fernando

Nishara Fernando is a Professor in Sociology attached to the Department of Sociology at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has been an academic for 24 years since 1999. Professor Fernando is a former Head of the Department of Sociology (2016-2019) and served as the Director of the Social Policy Analysis and Research Center (SPARC) at the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, from 2015 to 2021. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Sociology and a Master of Philosophy Degree in Sociology from the University of Colombo, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Sociology from the University of La Trobe, Australia. He obtained his PhD. from the University of Bonn, Germany. His expertise encompasses a profound engagement with urban studies, particularly focusing on vulnerable urban groups and the intricacies of disaster and development induced forced relocation. Professor Fernando was honored with the President's Award for Scientific Research in 2018. Throughout his 24 years of service, Professor Fernando has made significant contributions as a principal investigator and country lead for numerous international sociological and multi-disciplinary research projects. These projects were funded by organizations such as ERASMUS+, the Swiss National Science Foundation, UKGCRF, GIZ, IOM, ILO, The World Bank, Save the Children, the Bill Gates Foundation, and SOS Children’s Village, among others. He currently holds the position of Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Advanced Studies (NCAS) in Sri Lanka.

Prof Ruben Paul Borg

Professor Ruben Paul Borg is a Structural & Materials Engineer and Academic at the University of Malta. He is a Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at the University of Missouri S&T USA. He is visiting academic in various International Institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Hons.) University of Malta; Specialisation Degree in Reinforced Concrete Structures, Politecnico di Milano Italy and Ph.D. Materials Engineering University of Sheffield, UK. Prof. Borg was elected Board of Directors member of iiSBE International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment, Chairman of ECCE European Council of Civil Engineers for Knowledge and Technology and Representative of the Institution of Civil Engineers UK. Prof. Borg is active in fib International Federation for Structural Concrete, TG7.8 convener, RILEM scientific committees and appointed expert on European Committee for Standardization CEN TC350 Sustainability of Construction Works. He served as Board Member of the Executive Committee of the Building Industry Consultative Council, Government of Malta and Chairman for Research and Innovation. Prof Borg served on the Management Committee of various Research Projects in Materials Engineering, Sustainability of Construction and Resilience, and is active as Principal Investigator and Lead Partner on International Research Projects funded through Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Interreg among other Programmes. Prof. Borg participated in various scientific missions in disaster resilience. He is editorial board member of International Journals and acted as Guest Editor of Special Issues. Prof. Borg is active in structural and civil engineering and led various projects, including the Sustainable Development Centre Malta awarded the International Energy Globe Award 2013, and the Reinforced Concrete Water Tower Conservation Project awarded the Prix d'Honneur in Restoration and the International Energy Globe Award in 2022.

Prof. Mo Hamza

Mo Hamza is Professor of Risk Management and Societal Safety at Lund University, Sweden. He has worked with international development organisations including: World Bank, ADB, UNDP, UNISDR, USAID, DfID, IFRC, IUCN, Swedish Red Cross, and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). His primary areas of research and professional expertise are: Disaster risk and vulnerability reduction, post-disaster recovery, climate change impact and adaptation in fragile and failed states, and environmental displacement. Previously he was Chair of Social Vulnerability Studies at the United Nations University, Bonn, Germany; a Senior Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden and an advisor to the MIT Climate CoLab. He has undertaken consultancy and research work in: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, UK, South Eastern Europe and the Balkan States. Among various and more recent publications, Mo Hamza was the co-editor of the “Rebuilding Communities after Displacement - Sustainable and Resilience Approaches” volume (2023), co-guest editor of a double special issue in Global Discourse Journal (2022) “Critical Exploration of Crisis: Politics, Precariousness and Potentialities”, and the author of “Refugees’ Integration in the Built Environment - The Sweden Case” in Sustainability Journal (2021). He was also the lead author and editor of the World Disasters Report (2015) “Focus on local actors, the key to humanitarian effectiveness”.