The Ministry of Defence (MoD) highlights cascading risks such as flooding, energy insecurity, homelessness, and rising civil unrest (MoJ, 2024). By 2050, rising UK temperatures could result in approximately 10,000 additional deaths annually due to heat stress, with impacts on health services and community resilience still poorly understood (UKHSA, 2024; Richmond and Hill, 2023). A 2022 heatwave in Nottingham revealed 71% of residents experienced physical health issues, while 31% struggled with work productivity (Ogunbode et al., 2023). The Grantham Institute for Climate Change is investigating urgent research questions, including trade-offs and synergies for thermal comfort across seasons and effective housing retrofit strategies to mitigate climate risks (Bird and Wittke, 2024).
Housing retrofits aimed at improving thermal efficiency can reduce energy costs, while adaptations like handrails and ramps enhance accessibility. Climate adaptation measures, such as shutters, shading, and green spaces, provide additional benefits. However, the integration of these strategies remains unexplored in research and policy (Simpson & Connelly, forthcoming). Against the backdrop of intersecting housing, energy, health, cost-of-living, and climate crises, a proposed PhD project seeks to reimagine energy retrofit and home adaptation practices to enhance climate resilience.
The research will employ participatory, community-based approaches combined with a review of standards, policies, and interventions to co-create an open-access resource for the sector. The primary aim is to develop a climate resilience retrofit toolkit in collaboration with retrofit providers, home adaptation groups, and communities.
The ideal applicant should have a background in housing, architecture, construction management, sociology, health, or climate risk and adaptation. They should be empathetic, skilled in qualitative research on housing, and capable of conducting basic quantitative analysis of government datasets on housing quality. Strong data analysis, reporting, and communication skills are essential.
