Club Architektur #15

High temperatures put stress on us all. According to experts, heat presents the greatest risk to health among the impacts of climate change. How does the city need to be retrofitted to become climate-resilient by providing shade and cooling?

The average temperature in Vienna has risen from 9.3 to 12.4 degrees over the last 60 years. Heatwaves are more frequent and they are lasting longer; the summer of 2024 had 45 hot days. The target of a maximum 1.5 degree warming will almost certainly not be met on a global level, with potentially dramatic consequences. The elderly are suffering, in particular, from the extreme temperatures, and heat-related deaths are on the rise. Churches, city woodland or underground car parks: Where will we escape to during the next heatwave? What are the innovative, low-tech cooling concepts available to the city in the 21st century? Asphalt acts as a heat reservoir and also increases the formation of heat islands. What does an unsealed city look like, and what cools where best — water, trees, shade?

Guests: Renate Hammer, Institute of Building, Research & Innovation; Hans-Peter Hutter, doctor of environmental medicine, Public Health MedUni Wien; Lilli Lička, landscape architect; András Pálffy, Architekturbüro Jabornegg & Pálffy; Marcus Wadsak, ORF Weatherman (tbc)

Thanks to: Kohlmaier, Vienna