Design Challenges in a Changing Environment

This chapter provides an overall introduction of the present book, describing an overview of the context in which the study is set. Firstly, the issue of climate change is introduced, identifying the complex relationship with the built environment, and in particular buildings, identified as responsible for the climate crisis, but also extremely vulnerable to its effects. Next, potential adaptation and mitigation measures involving buildings are explored, focusing on improving building envelopes. Accordingly, potential and challenges of responsive envelopes are introduced, highlighting the complexity in modelling, further increased by the need to consider the changing climate as an additional factor of variation.